Fablehaven reads Fablehaven
by 1238904756
Summary: Stan Sorenson recieves a copy of each of the five Fablehaven books and the characters from the books read them. Spoiler warning, obviously.
1. Prologue

I am borrowing this idea from shopaholic1369's "Hogwarts reads..." however in this story it is the characters of Fablehaven rather than Harry Potter who are reading the books. This takes place after the fifth book. I do not own anything but a copy of each book. I have not read the books in a while, so let me know if I get anything wrong.

At the pavilion by the naiad pond, Stan Sorenson looked up from the cardboard box in his lap. In front of him was a rather large group of people. Foremost among them were his grandchildren, Seth and Kendra, with Bracken, the Fairy Queen's son next to the latter. On the other side of Bracken was the Fairy Queen herself. The both of them are unicorns, but both were in human form. Bracken had no choice because he had given up his third horn as a key to Zzyzx and was therefore trapped in human form. But it didn't look like he cared much about that as he whispered fervently with Kendra.

There were also Newel and Doren, the satyrs, who appeared to be bartering with Seth. Stan didn't want to know what for, as he had already given them unlimited television. Off to the side was the Sphinx guarded by Tanugatoa and Vanessa. There was also Ruth, Stan's wife, and Scott and Martha, Seth and Kendra's parents. In the distance Hugo the Golem and Raxtus the Dragon appeared to be wrestling. Some of the Knights of the Dawn milling around and some fairies flitting around. The naiads even poked their heads out of their pond.

Stan took a deep breath, and stood up. At this, everyone stopped what they were doing to look at him. He took another deep breath. "I have called you all here to help me decide what to do about a mysterious package I received three days ago," he gestured to the box. "Inside this box are five books. They appear to be about the events that happened little over a year ago. After skimming through a couple of these books I have found that they have everything correct, up to the exact wording of what was said. I called you all here to ask you all one question: if we were to read these books, is there anything that you would not want people to know about?"

At this, a few people got some shameful looks on their faces, but nobody objected. Stan nodded to himself. "All right, I'll read first. This book is called 'Fablehaven'


	2. Chapter 1

Author's Note: writing from the story will be in bold. Also, I apologize for the delay in getting this out to you. My computer needed to have stuff done on it and went in on the 12th, and I got it today on the 19th. Hopefully further chapters will not have this long of a delay between them.

I do not own Fablehaven.

**Chapter One: A Mandatory Vacation**

Seth and Kendra both groaned.

**Kendra stared out the side window of the SUV, watching foliage blur past. When the flurry of motion became too much, she looked up ahead and fixed her gaze on a particular tree, following it as it slowly approached, streaked past, and then gradually receded behind her.**

Doren raised his hand, as though he were a student. "Question, when will this get exciting?" Newel nudged his pal "At least let them get few chapters in before complaining about it being boring!"

**Was life like that? You could look ahead to the future or back at the past, but the present moved too quickly to absorb.**

Many people in the audience nodded

**Maybe sometimes. Not today. Today they were driving along an endless two-lane highway through the forested hills of Connecticut.**

"Don't tell me you regret taking that drive now." Ruth said two Kendra and Seth.

"Of course not." Kendra said.

"Well, I guess not, but it _was_ really long." Seth grudgingly agreed.

"**Why didn't you tell us Grandpa Sorenson lived in India?" Seth complained.**

"Like I said – really long drive."

**Her brother was eleven and heading into sixth grade. He had grown weary of his handheld video game – evidence that they were on a truly epic drive.**

"Really, really, _really _long drive"

Ruth sighed. "Yes, we get the point"

**Mom twisted to face the backseat. "It won't be much longer. Enjoy the scenery."**

"**I'm hungry," Seth said.**

"Of all things to say after that, you go with 'I'm hungry'?" Tanu asked.

"What? I was hungry."

"No duh," said Kendra

**Mom started rummaging through a grocery bag full of snack food. "Peanut butter and crackers?"**

**Seth reached forward for the crackers. Dad, driving, asked for some Almond Roca. Last Christmas he had decided that Almond Roca was his favorite candy and that he should have some on hand all year long. Nearly six months later he was still honoring his resolution.**

There was the crinkle of a candy wrapper. Everyone looked at Scott, who was in the middle of eating some Almond Roca. He grinned sheepishly and everyone just shook their heads.

"Looks like dad's resolution is still going strong," Seth remarked.

"**Do you want anything, Kendra?"**

"**I'm fine"**

"Of course you were. You had just had an entire package of Oreos without letting me have some!" Seth whined. Kendra stuck her tongue out at him.

**Kendra returned her attention to the frantic parade of trees. Her parents were leaving on a seventeen-day Scandinavian cruise with all the aunts and uncles on her mother's side. They were all going for free. Not because they'd won a contest. They were going because Kendra's grandparents had asphyxiated.**

"What does that mean?" whispered Doren.

"It means 'suffocated'" Newel whispered back.

**Grandma and Grandpa Larsen had been visiting relatives in South Carolina. The relatives lived in a trailer. The trailer had some sort of malfunction involving a gas leak, and they all died in their sleep.**

Confused, many of the Knights of the Dawn and the fairies looked at the Larsens. They offered no explanation. Stan kept reading.

**Long ago, Grandma and Grandpa Larsen had specified that when they died, all their children and their spouses were to use an allocated sum of money to go on a Scandinavian cruise.**

**The grandchildren were not invited.**

"Well that's just mean!" Newel called out. Doren snickered at the comment.

"**Won't you get bored stuck on a boat for seventeen days?" Kendra asked.**

**Dad glanced at her in the rearview mirror. "The food is supposed to be incredible. Snails, fish eggs, the works."**

"He did come back rather larger and rounder," Seth remarked.

"What? The snails were good," Scott replied.

Seth rolled his eyes.

"**We're not all that thrilled about the trip," Mom said sadly. "I don't think your grandparents envisioned an accidental death when they made this request. But we'll make the best of it."**

The Larsens looked hurt.

"Sorry, it just happened at a bad time."

Suddenly, both Larsens smiled. "We're just messing with you, Marla," said Hank. Marla slapped him playfully on the shoulder.

"**The ship stops in ports as you go," Dad said, deliberately redirecting the conversation. "You get to disembark for part of the time."**

"**Is this car ride going to last seventeen days?" Seth asked.**

Newel and Doren both snickered.

"What?" Seth asked. "It was the longest car ride ever."

"**We're nearly there," Dad said. "You should feel honored. They almost never invite anyone to stay with them."**

"**Exactly. We barely know them. They're hermits."**

Grandpa Sorenson paused there and frowned.

"Don't worry, you aren't hermits anymore," Kendra assured him.

"**Well, they were my parents," Dad said. "Somehow I survived."**

**The road stopped winding through forested hills as it passed through a town. They idled at a stoplight, and Kendra stared at an overweight woman gassing up her minivan. **

"Well, isn't Kendra observant?" said a fairy, rather sarcastically.

"Shh!" Shiara shushed the fairy.

**The front windshield of the minivan was dirty, but the woman seemed to have no intention of washing it.**

"How would she see where she was going?" asked Doren.

Kendra rolled her eyes. They would not be able to finish this very fast at the rate that they were going.

**Kendra glanced up front. The windshield of the SUV was filthy, smeared with dead bugs, even though Dad had squeegeed it when the last stopped to refuel. They had driven all the way to Rochester today.**

Kendra and Vanessa both stuck out their tongues, making a "yuck" face. They looked at each other, and started giggling.

Grandpa Sorenson politely waited for them to settle before continuing.

**Kendra knew that Grandma and Grandpa Sorenson had not invited them to stay. She had overheard when Mom had approached Grandpa Sorenson about letting the kids stay with him. It was at the funeral.**

**The memory of the funeral made Kendra shiver. There was a wake beforehand, where Grandma and Grandpa Larsen were showcased in match caskets. Kendra did not like seeing Grandpa Larsen wearing makeup. **

Hank smiled at that. "I wouldn't like to see me in makeup either," he said.

**What lunatic had decided that when people died you should hire a taxidermist to fix them up for one final look? She would much rather remember them alive than on grotesque display in their Sunday best. The Larsens were the grandparents who had been part of her life. They had shared many holidays and long visits.**

Kendra hung her head. She knew what was coming next.

**Kendra could hardly remember spending time with Grandma and Grandpa Sorenson.**

And there it was. Kendra looked up at Grandma Sorenson and saw that she was frowning. They had not spent much time with their grandkids at all.

**They had inherited some estate in Connecticut around the time her parents were married. The Sorensons had never invited them to visit, and rarely made the trek out to Rochester. When they came, it was generally one or the other. They had only come together twice. The Sorensons were nice, but their visits had been too infrequent and brief for real bonding to occur. Kendra knew that Grandma had taught history at some college, and that Grandpa had traveled a lot, running a small importing business. That was about it.**

Tanu gave a low whistle. Everybody knew what that meant. That is quite a small amount of information to know about someone, especially family.

**Everyone was surprised when Grandpa Sorenson showed up at the funeral. It had been more than eighteen months since either of the Sorensons had visited. He had apologized that his wife could not attend because she was feeling ill. There always seemed to be an excuse. Sometimes Kendra wondered if they were secretly divorced.**

"Well, we weren't," said Grandma Sorenson.

**Toward the end of the wake, Kendra overheard Mom cajoling Grandpa Sorenson to watch the kids. They were in a hallway around a corner from the viewing area. Kendra heard them talking before she reached the corner, and paused to eavesdrop.**

"Naughty, naughty, naughty," said Newel, wagging his finger at Kendra.

"**Why can't they stay with Marci?"**

"**Normally they would, but Marci is coming on the cruise."**

**Kendra peeked around the corner. Grandpa Sorenson was wearing a brown jacket with patches on the elbows and a bow tie.**

"Sounds like he needs a new jacket," Bracken whispered softly to Kendra.

Kendra giggled.**  
"Where are Marci's kids going?"**

"**To her in-laws."**

"**What about a babysitter?"**

"**Two and a half weeks is a long time for a sitter. I remembered you had mentioned having them over sometime."**

"**Yes, I recall. Does it have to be late June? Why not July?"**

"**The cruise is on a time frame. What's the difference?"**

"**Things get extra busy around then. I don't know, Kate. I'm out of practice with children."**

"Who's Kate?" asked Doren, who seemed confused.

"Kate is my middle name," replied Marla.

"**Stan, I don't want to go on this cruise. It was important to my parents, so we're going. I don't mean to twist your arm." Mom sounded on the verge of tears.**

**Grandpa Sorenson sighed. "I suppose we could find a place to lock them up."**

Newel, Doren, and Seth looked at each other.

"The dungeon!" they cried, laughing.

**Kendra moved away from the hall at that point. She had quietly worried about staying with Grandpa Sorenson ever since.**

**Having left the town behind, the SUV climbed a steep grade. Then the road curved around a lake and got lost among low, forested hills. Every so often they passed a mailbox. Sometimes a house was visible through the trees; sometimes there was only a long driveway.**

**They turned onto a narrower road and kept driving. Kendra leaned forward and checked the gas gauge. "Dad, you're under a quarter of a tank." she said.**

"**We're almost there. We'll fill up after we drop you kids off."**

"With how long the driveway was, it seemed like he would run out of gas before we got there," Kendra whispered to Bracken.

Bracken chuckled at that.

"**Can't we come on the cruise?" Seth asked. "We could hide in the lifeboats. You could sneak us food."**

"**You kids will have much more fun with Grandma and Grandpa Sorenson," Mom said. "Just you wait. Give it a chance."**

"**Here we are," Dad said.**

**They pulled off the road onto a gravel highway. Kendra could see no sign of a house, only the driveway angling out of sight into the trees.**

**Tires crunching over the gravel, they passed several signs advertising that they were on private property. Other signs warded off trespassers. They came to a low metal gate that hung open but could be shut to prevent access.**

"**This is the longest driveway in the world!" Seth complained.**

"Actually, the longest driveway in the world is Jebel Hafeet Mountain Road, in the UAE," said Tanu.

Everybody stared at him.

"What? Just some useless knowledge from years ago. I'm surprised I remembered."

**The farther they advanced, the less conventional the signs became. _Private Property_ and _No Trespassing_ gave way to _Beware of .12 Gauge_ and _Trespassers Will Be Persecuted._**

"**These signs are funny." Seth said.**

It was Seth's turn to have everyone stare at him.

"What? I did think they were funny."

Most people just shook their heads.

"**More like creepy," Kendra muttered.**

Almost everybody agreed with Kendra, including herself.

**Rounding another bend, the driveway reached a tall, wrought-iron fence topped with fleurs-de-lis. The double gates stood open. The fence extended off into the trees as far as Kendra could see in either direction. Near the fence stood a final sign:**

_**Certain Death Awaits**_

"If those other signs were funny, I'm guessing that one was hilarious to you." said Vanessa.

"No, I found that one creepy," replied Seth.

"**Is Grandpa Sorenson paranoid?" Kendra asked.**

"**The signs are a joke," Dad said. "He inherited this land. I'm sure the fence came with it."**

Grandpa Sorenson nodded and continued reading.

**After they passed through the gate, there was still no house in sight. Just more trees and shrubs. They drove across a small bridge spanning a creek and climbed a shallow slope. There the trees ended abruptly, bringing the house into view across a vast front lawn.**

**The house was big, but not enormous, with lots of gables and even a turret. After the wrought-iron gate, Kendra had expected a castle or a mansion.**

"Well, there is the one down the road," said Newel.

"Yeah, but we didn't know that then," said Kendra.

**Constructed out of dark wood and stone, the house looked old but in good repair. The grounds were more impressive. A bright flower garden bloomed in front of the house. Manicured hedges and a fish pond added character to the yard. Behind the house loomed an immense brown barn, at least five stories tall, topped by a weather vane.**

"**I love it," Mom said. "I wish we were all staying."**

"**You've never been here?" Kendra asked.**

Marla shook her head.

"**No. Your father came here a couple of times before we were married."**

"**They go the extra mile to discourage visitors," Dad said. "Me, Uncle Carl, Aunt Sophie – none of us have spent much time here. I don't get it. You kids are lucky. You'll have a blast. If nothing else, you can spend your time playing in the pool."**

**They pulled to a stop outside the garage.**

**The front door opened and Grandpa Sorenson emerged, followed by a tall, lanky man with large ears and a thin, older woman. Mom, Dad, and Seth got out of the car. Kendra sat and watched.**

**Grandpa had been clean-shaven at the funeral, but now he wore a stubbly white beard. He was dressed in faded jeans, work boots, and a flannel shirt.**

People started chuckling, then laughing. Confused, Stan looked at himself and saw that he was wearing exactly what was described in the book. He started to laugh as well.

When the laughter died down, Stan continued to read.

**Kendra studied the older woman. She was not Grandma Sorenson. Despite her white hair streaked with a few black strands, her face had an ageless quality. Her almond eyes were black as coffee, and her features suggested a hint of Asian ancestry. Short and slightly stooped, she retained an exotic beauty.**

Kendra started tearing up at the mention of Lena. Noticing this, Bracken put his arm around her, as she took some deep breathes, trying to control the flow. After a few seconds, they continued listening.

**Dad and the lanky man opened the back of the SUV and began removing suitcases and duffel bags. "You coming, Kendra?" Dad asked.**

**Kendra opened the door and dropped to the gravel.**

"**Just place the things inside," Grandpa was telling Dad. Dale will take them up to the bedroom."**

"**Where's Mom?" Dad asked.**

"**Visiting your Aunt Edna."**

"**In Missouri?"**

"**Edna's dying."**

**Kendra had barely heard of Aunt Edna, so the news did not mean much.**

"Honestly, it didn't mean much to me either. I never really liked Aunt Edna," Scott said.

**She looked up at the house. She noticed that the windows had bubbly glass.**

"What an astute observation," said Doren.

**Bird nests clung under the eaves.**

"And another one!"

**They all migrated to the front door. Dad and Dale carried the larger bags. Seth held a smaller duffel bag and a cereal box. The cereal box was his emergency kit. It was full of odds and ends he thought would come in handy for an adventure – rubber bands, a compass, granola bars, coins, a squirt gun, a magnifying glass, plastic handcuffs, string, a whistle.**

"Really?" asked Vanessa. "_Plastic_ handcuffs?"

Seth hung his head. "I was younger then."

"Not by much," said Kendra.

"**This is Lena, our housekeeper," Grandpa said. The older woman nodded and gave a little wave. "Dale helps me tend the grounds."**

"**Aren't you pretty?" Lena said to Kendra. "You must be around fourteen." Lena had a faint accent that Kendra could not place.**

"**In October."**

Bracken stuck that fact in the back of his mind.

**An iron knocker hung on the front door, a squinting goblin with a ring in its mouth. The thick door had bulky hinges.**

**Kendra entered the house. Glossy wood floored the entry hall. A wilting arrangement of flowers rested on a low table in a ceramic vase. A tall, brass coatrack stood off to one side beside a black bench with a high carved back. On the wall hung a painting of a fox hunt.**

**Kendra could see into another room where a huge, embroidered throw rug covered most of the wooden floor. Like the house itself, the furnishings were antiquated but in good repair. The couches and chairs were mostly of the sort you would expect to see visiting a historical site.**

"It _is _a historical site," said Seth. "Well, kind of."

**Dale was heading up the stairs with some of the bags. Lena excused herself and went to another room.**

"**Your home is beautiful," Mom gushed. "I wish we had time for a tour."**

"**Maybe when you get back," Grandpa said.**

"**Thanks for letting the kids stay with you," Dad said.**

"**Our pleasure. Don't let me keep you."**

"**We're on a pretty tight schedule," Dad apologized.**

"**You kids be good and do whatever Grandpa Sorenson tells you," Mom said. She hugged Kendra and Seth.**

Kendra sent a look in Seth's direction. He gave a sheepish grin.

**Kendra felt tears seeping into her eyes. She fought them back. "Have a fun cruise."**

"**We'll be back before you know it," Dad said, putting an arm around Kendra and tousling Seth's hair. Waving, Mom and Dad walked out the door. Kendra went to the doorway and watched them climb into the SUV. Dad honked as they drove off. Kendra fought back tears again as the SUV vanished into the trees.**

**Mom and Dad were probably laughing, relieved to be off by themselves for the longest vacation of their married lives. She could practically hear their crystal goblets clinking. And here she stood, abandoned. Kendra closed the door. Seth oblivious as ever, was examining the intricate pieces of a decorative chess set.**

**Grandpa stood in the entry hall, watching Seth and looking politely uncomfortable.**

"**Leave the chess pieces alone," Kendra said. "They look expensive."**

"They _are_ expensive," said Ruth.

"**Oh, he's all right," Grandpa said. By the way he said it, Kendra could tell he was relieved to see Seth setting the pieces down. "Shall I show you to your room?"**

**They followed Grandpa up the stairs and down a carpeted hall to the foot of a narrow wooden staircase leading up to a white door. Grandpa continued on up the creaking steps.**

"**We don't often have guests, especially children," Grandpa said over his shoulder. "I think you'll be most comfortable in the attic."**

**He opened the door, and they entered after him. Braced for cobwebs and torture devices,**

Everybody looked at Kendra, who looked embarassed. "Well, what else is in an attic?" she asked.

"A playroom," said Seth.

"Shut up,"said Kendra, her face turning red.

**Kendra was relieved to find that the attic was a cheerful playroom. Spacious, clean, and bright, the long room had a pair of beds, shelves crowded with children's books, freestanding wardrobes, tidy dressers, a unicorn rocking horse, multiple toy chests, and a hen in a cage.**

At that last part, Ruth sent a glare in Stan's direction.

"Hey, I'm sorry," he said.

**Seth went straight for the chicken. "Cool!" He poked a finger through the slender bars, trying to touch the orange-gold feathers. "Careful, Seth," Kendra warned.**

"**He'll be fine," Grandpa said. "Goldilocks is more a house pet than a barnyard hen. Your grandmother usually takes care of her. I figured you kids wouldn't mind filling in while she's gone. You'll need to feed her, clean her cage, and collect her eggs."**

"**She lays eggs!" Seth looked astonished and delighted.**

"What else does a hen do?" asked Tanu.

Red-faced, Seth sank lower to the sound of people laughing.

"**An egg or two a day if you keep her well fed," Grandpa said. He pointed to a white plastic bucket full of kernels near the cage. "A scoop in the morning and another in the evening should take care of her. You'll want to change the lining of her cage every couple days, and make sure she has plenty of water. Every morning, we give her a tiny bowl of milk." Grandpa winked. "That's the secret behind her egg production."**

"**Can we ever take her out?" The hen had moved close enough for Seth to stroke her feathers with one finger.**

"**Just put her back afterwards." Grandpa bent down to put a finger in the cage, and Goldilocks instantly pecked at it. Grandpa withdrew his hand. "Never liked me much."**

"You deserved that," said Ruth.

Scott and Marla looked very puzzled.

"Just listen. It will be explained later," said Ruth.

"**Some of the toys look expensive, Kendra said, standing beside an ornate Victorian dollhouse.**

"**Toys are meant to be played with," Grandpa said. "Do your best to keep them in decent shape, and that will be good enough."**

"A lot better than mom's 'put it away when you are done playing and keep the room looking perfect,'" said Seth. "No offense, Mom."

**Seth moved from the hen cage to a small piano in the corner of the room. He banged on the keys, and the notes that clanged sounded different from what Kendra would have expected. It was a little harpsichord.**

"**Consider this room your space, Grandpa said. Within reason, I'll not bother you to pick things up in here, so long as you treat the rest of the house with respect."**

"Definitely a lot better," Seth said.

"**Okay," Kendra said.**

"**I also have some unfortunate news. We are in the height of tick season. You kids ever heard of Lyme disease?"**

**Seth shook his head.**

"**I think so," Kendra said.**

"**It was originally discovered in the town of Lyme, Connecticut, not too far from here. You catch it from tick bites. The woods are full of ticks this year."**

"**What does it do?" Seth asked.**

**Grandpa paused for a solemn moment. "Starts out as a rash. Before long it can lead to arthritis, paralysis, and heart failure. Besides, disease or no, you don't want ticks burrowing into your skin to drink your blood. You try to pull them off and the head detaches. Hard to get out."**

"Ugh," said Marla.

"**That's disgusting!" Kendra exclaimed.**

**Grandpa nodded grimly. "They're so small you can hardly see them, at least until they fill up on blood. Then they swell to the size of a grape. Anyhow, point is, you kids are not allowed to enter the woods under any circumstances. Stay on the lawn. Break that rule and your outdoor privileges will be revoked. We understand one another?"**

**Kendra and Seth nodded.**

"Seth, you little liar," said Kendra.

Seth stuck his tongue out at her.

"**You also need to keep out of the barn. Too many ladders and rusty old pieces of farm equipment. Same rules apply to the barn as apply to the woods. Set foot in there, and you will spend the rest of your stay in this room."**

"Not the best reasons there, Stan," said Tanu.

"You're right," agreed Stan. "However, they _did_ work."

"**Okay," Seth said, crossing the room to where a little easel stood on a paint-spattered tarp. A blank canvas rested on the easel. Additional blank canvases leaned against the wall nearby, beside shelves stocked with jars of paint. "Can I paint?"**

"**I'm telling you twice, you have the run of this room," Grandpa said. "Just try not to destroy it. I have many chores to attend to, so I may not be around much. There should be plenty of toys and hobbies here to keep you busy."**

"They only kept Seth busy for the rest of the day," said Kendra.

"Hey. I get bored easily," said Seth.**  
"What about a TV?" Seth asked.**

"**No TV or radio," Grandpa replied. "Rules of the house. If you need anything, Lena will never be far." He indicated a purple cord hanging against the wall near one of the beds. "Tug the cord if you need her. In fact, Lena will be up with your supper in a few minutes."**

"**Won't we eat together?" Kendra asked.**

"**Some days. Right now I need to visit the east hayfield. May not be back until late."**

"I had to give orders to Hugo to stay away from you two. A moving pile of dirt may have looked a little odd," Stan explained.

"**How much land do you own?" asked Seth.**

**Grandpa smiled. "More than my share. Let's leave it at that. I'll see you kids in the morning." He turned to leave and then paused, reaching into his coat pocket. Turning back, he handed Kendra a tiny key ring holding three miniature sets of keys of varying sizes. "Each of these keys fits something in this room. See if you can figure out what each unlocks."**

"That was rather fun," said Kendra.

**Grandpa Sorenson walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. Kendra listened as he descended the stairs. She stood at the door, waiting, and then gently tried the handle. It turned slowly. She eased the door open, peered down the empty stairway, and then closed it. At least he had not locked them in.**

**Seth had opened a toy chest and was examining the contents. The toys were old-fashioned but in excellent condition. Soldiers, dolls, puzzles, stuffed animals, wooden blocks.**

"Those are the same toys from when _I_ was a kid!" said Scott.

**Kendra wandered over to a telescope by a window. She peered into the eyepiece, positioned the telescope to look through a windowpane, and began twisting the focus knobs. She could improve the focus but couldn't get it quite right.**

**She stopped fiddling with the knobs and examined the window. The panes were made of bubbly glass, like those in the front of the house. The images were being distorted before they reached the telescope.**

"Good catch, Kendra," said Vanessa.

"Thanks."

**Unfastening a latch, Kendra pushed the window open. She had a good view of the forest east of the house, illuminated by the golden hues of the setting sun. Moving the telescope closer to the window, she spent some time mastering the knobs, bring the leaves on the trees below into crisp focus.**

"**Let me see," Seth said. He was standing beside her.**

"**Pick up those toys first." A mess of toys lay piled near the open chest.**

"**Grandpa said we can do what we want in here."**

"We barely leave you for an hour and already you two are bickering!" exclaimed Marla.

"**Without making it a disaster. You're already wrecking the place."**

"**I'm playing. This is a playroom"**

"**Remember how Mom and Dad said we need to pick up after ourselves?"**

"**Remember how Mom and Dad aren't here?"**

"**I'll tell."**

"**How? Stick a note in a bottle? You won't even remember by the time they get back."**

**Kendra noticed a calendar on the wall. "I'll write it on the calendar."**

"**Good. And I'll look through the telescope while you do that."**

"**This is the one thing in the room I was doing. Why don't you find something else?"**

"Because sibling jealousy can be fierce," said Vanessa, knowingly

"**I didn't notice the telescope. Why don't you share? Don't Mom and Dad also tell us to share?"**

"**Fine," Kendra said. "It's all yours. But I'm closing the window. Bugs are coming in."**

"**Whatever."**

Seth hung his head.

**She shut the window.**

**Seth looked into the eyepiece and started twisting the focus knobs. Kendra took a closer look at the calendar. It was from 1953.**

"That's one old calendar," said Tanu.

**Each month was accompanied by an illustration of a fairyland palace.**

"Fitting," said Bracken.

**She turned the calendar to June. Today was June 11. The Days of the week did not match up, but she could still count down to when her parents would return. They would be back June 28.**

That's a long time," said Seth.

"Well, we did have some exciting things happen that made go by faster," Kendra said.

"True," replied Seth.

"**This stupid thing won't even focus," Seth complained.**

Seth smiled sheepishly.

**Kendra smiled.**

Kendra smiled.

"Well, that's the end of the first chapter," said Stan. "Would anybody like to read next?"

"I will," said Tanu.

As he started heading towards where Stan was standing, Kendra said to Seth "looks like this is going to be a little embarassing to you."

"Just wait until you meet Bracken."

"Touché."

AN: I would love reviews! Also, if I have gotten any facts wrong, whether it be a name or something else, please let me know, either in a PM or review.


	3. Chapter 2

Ok, I am back with the next chapter of this story. Thanks for waiting.

Tanu took the book from Stan, and started reading.

**Chapter Two: Collecting Clues**

**The next morning, Kendra sat at breakfast across from her grandfather. A wooden clock on the wall above him read 8:43. Reflected sunlight flashed in the corner of her eye. Seth was using his butter knife to bounce sun rays. **

"You cruel, cruel person," said a straight-faced Newel, before bursting out laughing.

"Shup," replied Seth, tinged with pink.

**She was not seated close enough to the window to retaliate.**

"Doesn't mean I didn't though," whispered Kendra to Bracken.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Not telling you – just listen."

"**Nobody likes the sun in their eyes, Seth," Grandpa said.**

**Seth stopped.**

"Good boy, Seth," smirked Vanessa.

Seth just hung his head.

"**Where's Dale?" he asked.**

"**Dale and I got up a few hours ago. He's out working. I'm just here to keep you company on your first morning."**

**Lena set a bowl in front of Seth and another in front of Kendra.**

"**What's this?" Seth asked.**

"**Cream of wheat," Lena replied.**

"**Sticks to your ribs," Grandpa added.**

**Seth probed the cream of wheat with his spoon. "What's in it? Blood?**

Everybody related to Seth rolled their eyes, while Seth cringed at how accurate his sister's prediction thus far.

"**Berries from the garden and homemade raspberry preserves," Lena said, placing a platter on the table containing toast, butter, a pitcher of milk, a bowl of sugar, and a bowl of jam.**

**Kendra sampled the cream of wheat. It was delicious. The berries and preserves sweetened it to perfection.**

"**This is good!" Seth said. "Just think, Dad is eating snails."**

"There's nothing wrong with snails," said Scott, sounding hurt, before smiling at his wife and kissing her cheek.

"**You kids remember the rules about the woods," Grandpa said.**

"**And to stay out of the barn," Kendra said.**

"**Good girl. There's a swimming pool out back that we got ready for you – all the chemicals are balanced and whatnot. There are gardens to explore. You can always play in your room. Just respect the rules and we'll get along fine."**

Kendra coughed. "Seth."

Seth glared at her.

"**When is grandma coming back?" Kendra asked.**

**Grandpa glanced down at his hands. "That depends on your Aunt Edna. Could be next week. Could be a couple months."**

"**Good thing Grandma got over her illness," Kendra said.**

"**Illness?"**

"**The one that kept her from going to the funeral."**

"**Right. Yeah, she was still a little under the weather when she left for Missouri."**

**Grandpa was acting a little peculiar. **

"Busted!" said Raxtus, causing people to jump. Apparently people had forgotten that the dragon in the back was there.

**Kendra wondered if he was uncomfortable around children.**

"Scratch that." added Raxtus.

"**I'm sad we missed her," Kendra said.**

"**She's sorry too. Well, I better be off." Grandpa had not eaten anything. He pushed his chair back, stood up, and stepped away from the table, rubbing his palms against his jeans. "If you swim, don't forget to wear sunblock. I'll see you kids later."**

"**At lunch?" Seth asked.**

"**Probably not until supper. Lena will help you with anything you need."**

**He left the room.**

**Dressed in her swimsuit, a towel over one shoulder, Kendra stepped through the door onto the back porch. She carried a handheld mirror she had found in the nightstand by her bed. **

Glancing to her right, the Fairy Queen noticed her son look pointedly at Kendra, who nodded. _What was that all about? _She wondered.

**The handle was mother-of-pearl studded with rhinestones. The day was a bit humid, but the temperature was pleasant.**

**She walked to the railing of the porch and gazed over the gorgeously manicured backyard. Paths of white stones meandered among flowers beds, hedgerows, vegetable gardens, fruit trees, and flowering plants. Tangled grapevines curled along along suspended lattices. All the flowers seemed to be in full bloom. Kendra had never seen such brilliant blossoms.**

**Seth was already swimming. The pool had a black bottom, and it was fringed with rocks to make it seem like a pond. Kendra hurried down the steps and started down a path towards the pool.**

**The garden teemed with life. Hummingbirds darted among the foliage, wings nearly invisible as they hovered. Huge bumblebees with fuzzy abdomens buzzed from one blossom to another. A stunning variety of butterflies fluttered about on tissue-paper wings.**

"Funny how it goes from 'there's all of this stuff making the yard look so nice, hey look, Seth is swimming, and there's some more stuff making the yard look nice..." Doren noted.

Newel looked at him. "Who cares?"

"Ouch," said Seth

**Kendra passed a small, waterless fountain featuring a statue of a frog. She paused as a large butterfly alighted on the rim of an empty birdbath. It had huge wings – blue, black, and violet. She had never seen a butterfly with such vivid coloring. Of course, she never visited a world-class garden. The house was not quite a mansion, but the grounds were fit for a king. No wonder Grandpa Sorenson had so many chores.**

"Actually, Stan doesn't do any of the gardening here. That would be the fairies," Kendra heard Grandma Sorenson say.

**The path finally deposited Kendra at the pool. Variegated flagstones paved the poolside area. There were a few recliners and a circular table with a big umbrella.**

**Seth leaped from a stone outcropping into the swimming pool, legs curled up, and hit the water with a big splash. Kendra set her towel and mirror on the table and grabbed a bottle of sunblock. She smeared the white cream over her face, arms, and legs until it disappeared into her skin.**

**While Seth was swimming underwater, Kendra picked up the mirror. She angled the face so it reflected sunlight onto the water. When Seth surfaced, she made sure the bright splotch of sunlight covered his face.**

Kendra smirked, and Bracken had to laugh, opening the door for everybody else to laugh (except Seth of course). Almost immediately everybody stopped laughing, noticing the uncomfortable look on Seth's face. Then Newel whispered something to Seth, and he grinned, which worried Kendra greatly.

"**Hey!" he shouted, swimming away from her. She kept the glare from the mirror on the back of his head. Gripping the side of the pool, Seth turned to look at her again, throwing up a hand and squinting to ward off the light. He had to look away.**

**Kendra laughed.**

"**Cut it out," Seth called.**

"**You don't like that?"**

"**Quit it. I won't do it anymore. Grandpa already yelled at me."**

"I didn't yell!" exclaimed Stan indignantly.

**Kendra set the mirror on the table. "That mirror is a lot brighter than a butter knife," She said. "I bet it already did permanent damage to your retinas."**

"**I hope so, then I'll sue you for a billion dollars."**

"**Good luck. I have about a hundred in the bank. It might be enough for you to buy some eye patches."**

**He swam toward her angrily, and Kendra walked forward to the edge of the pool. As he started climbing out, she shoved him back in. **

Kendra high-fived Bracken.

**She was almost a full head taller than Seth and could usually handle him in a fight, although if they ended up wrestling he was pretty squirmy.**

**Seth changed tactics and started splashing her, making quick scooping motions across the surface of the pool. The water felt cold, and Kendra recoiled at first, then leapt over Seth into the water. After the initial shock, she swiftly grew accustomed to the temperature, stroking over to the shallow end away from her brother.**

**He chased her, and they ended up in a splash fight. Locking his hands, Seth swung his arms in wide arcs, skimming the top of the water. Kendra pushed at the water with both hands, a churning motion that generated smaller but more focused splashes. Soon they grew tired. It was hard to win a water fight when both participants were already soaked.**

"So true," said Doren.

"**Let's have a race," Kendra suggested as the splashing subsided.**

**They raced back and forth across the pool. First they raced freestyle, the backstroke, breaststroke, and sidestroke. After that they created handicaps, like racing with no arms or hopping across the width of the shallow end on one foot. Kendra usually won, but Seth was faster at backstroke and some of the handicapped races.**

**When Kendra grew bored, she got out of the pool. Walking toward the table to retrieve her towel, she stroked her long hair, enjoying the rubbery texture as the wetness made the strands cling together.**

**Seth climbed on top of a big rock near the deep end. "Watch this can opener!" He jumped with one leg straight and the other bent.**

"It was a pretty cool can opener," said Seth.

"**Good job," Kendra said to placate him when he surfaced. Shifting her gaze to the table, Kendra froze. Hummingbirds, bumblebees, and butterflies swirled in the air above the handheld mirror. Several other butterflies and a couple of large dragonflies actually rested on the face of the mirror itself.**

"Those are very vain bugs," noted Marla.

"**Seth, come look at this!" Kendra hissed in a loud whisper.**

"**What?"**

"**Just come here."**

**Seth boosted himself out of the pool and padded over to Kendra, arms folded. He stared at the cloud of life whirling above the mirror. "What's their deal?"**

"**I don't know," she replied. "Do insects like mirrors?"**

"**These ones do."**

"They not bugs," rumbled Hugo, startling everybody.

"**Look at the red and white butterfly. It's enormous."**

"**Same with that dragonfly," Seth pointed out.**

"**I wish I had a camera. I dare you to go get the mirror."**

**Seth shrugged. "Sure."**

**He trotted over to the table, grabbed the mirror by the handle, dashed to the pool, and dove in. Some of the insects scattered instantly. The majority drifted in the direction Seth had gone but dispersed before reaching the pool.**

**Seth surfaced. "Any bees after me?"**

"**Get the mirror out of the water. You'll ruin it!"**

"Thanks. Your brother was possibly chased by bees, and all you care about is a mirror," said Seth in mock hurt.

"**Settle down, it's fine," he said, stroking over to the side.**

"**Give it to me." She took the mirror from him and wiped it dry with her towel. It look undamaged. "Let's try an experiment."**

**Kendra placed the mirror face up on a lounge chair and backed away. "Think they'll come back?"**

"Of course." said Seth.

"**We'll see."**

**Kendra and Seth sat down at the table, not far from the lounge chair. After less than a minute, a hummingbird glided over to the mirror and hovered above it. Soon it was joined by a few butterflies. A bumblebee alighted on the face. Before long another swarm of small winged creatures crowded the mirror.**

"**Go turn the mirror face down," Kendra said. "I want to see whether they like the reflection or the mirror itself."**

"Obviously the reflection, Kendra," said Doren. "You couldn't tell, what with them landing on the mirror and all?"

"Hey, it just looked like bugs having an odd fascination with a mirror. Would _you_ expect a bumblebee to check itself out in a mirror?" Kendra replied.

"No..."

"Exactly."

**Seth crept toward the mirror. The little animals took no apparent notice of his approach. He reached forward slowly, flipped the mirror over, and then retreated to the table.**

**The butterflies and bees that had landed on the mirror took flight when it was overturned, but only a few of the winged creatures flew away. Most of the swarm lingered. A pair of butterflies and a dragonfly landed on the lounge chair at the edge of the mirror. Taking flight, they flipped the mirror over, nearly sliding it off the chair in the process.**

"That must have been quite the sight," said Scott.

"It was," replied Kendra.

**With the reflective surface showing again, the swarm pressed close. Several of the creatures landed on the face.**

"**Did you see that?" Kendra asked.**

"**That was weird." Seth said.**

"**How could they be strong enough to lift it?"**

"**There were a few of them. Want me to flip it again?"**

"**No, I'm scared the mirror will fall off and break."**

"**Okay." He draped his towel over his shoulder. "I'm going to change."**

"**Would you take the mirror?"  
"Fine, but I'm running. I don't want to get stung."**

"Scared of bees, Seth?" asked Vanessa, teasingly.

"Maybe..." he said sheepishly.

**Seth moved toward the mirror slowly, snatched it, and ran off into the garden toward the house.**

**When Kendra reached the attic playroom, Seth was dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved camouflage shirt. He picked up the cereal box that served as his emergency survival kit and headed for the door.**

"**Where are you going?"**

"**None of your business, unless you want to come."**

"**How will I know whether I want to come if you don't tell me where you're going?"**

**Seth gave her a measuring stare. "Promise to keep it a secret?"**

"**Let me guess. Into the woods."**

"**Want to come?"**

"And here comes an argument," Marla predicted.

"**You'll get Lyme disease," Kendra warned.**

"**Whatever. Ticks are everywhere. Same with poison ivy. If people let that stop them, nobody would ever go anywhere."**

**But Grandpa Sorenson doesn't want us in the woods," she protested.**

"Told you."

"**Grandpa isn't going to be around all day. Nobody will know unless you blab."**

"**Don't do this. Grandpa has been nice to us. We should obey him."**

"**You're about as brave as a bucket of sand."**

"**What's so brave about disobeying Grandpa?"**

"**So you're not coming?"**

**Kendra hesitated. "No."**

"**Will you tell on me?"**

"**If they ask where you are."**

"**I won't be long."**

**Seth walked out the door. She heard him tromp down the stairs.**

**Kendra crossed to the nightstand. The handheld mirror rested on it beside the ring with the three tiny keys. She had spent a long time the night before trying to find what the keys fit. The biggest key opened a jewelry box on the dresser that was full of costume jewelry – fake diamond necklaces, pearl earrings, emerald pendants, sapphire rings, and ruby bracelets. She had not yet discovered what the other two opened.**

**She picked up the keys. They were all small. The smallest was no longer than a thumbtack. Where could she find such a miniscule keyhole?**

"What about the dollhouse?" asked Newel.

"How'd you know?" gaped Kendra.

"Lucky guess."

**The night before, she had spent most of her time on drawers and toy chests. Some of the drawers had keyholes, but they were already unlocked, and the keys did not fit. Same with the toy chests.**

**The Victorian dollhouse caught her attention. What better place to find tiny keyholes than inside a little house? She unlatched the clasps and opened it, revealing two floors and several rooms full of miniature furniture. Five doll people lived in the house – a father, a mother, a son, a daughter, and a baby.**

**The detail was extraordinary. The beds had quilts, blankets, sheets, and pillows. The couches had removable cushions. The knobs in the bathtub really turned. Closets had clothes hanging inside.**

**The armoire in the dollhouse's master bedroom made Kendra suspicious. It had a disproportionately large keyhole in the center. Kendra inserted the tiniest key and turned it. The doors of the armoire sprung open.**

**Inside was something wrapped in gold foil – opening it, she saw it was a piece of chocolate shaped like a rosebud. **("And you told me it was soap!" cried Seth.) **Behind the chocolate she found a small golden key. She added it to the key ring. The golden key was larger than the key that opened the armoire, but smaller than the key that opened the jewelry box.**

**Kendra took a bite of the chocolate rosebud. It was soft and melted in her mouth. It was the richest, creamiest chocolate she had ever tasted. She finished it in three more bites, savoring each mouthful.**

"I wish we could have tried some of that at some point," said Marla.

"You have. It's the same flavor as the chocolate milk that we have," said Kendra.

**Kendra continued scouring the tiny house, investigating every piece of furniture, searching every closet, checking behind every miniature painting on the walls. Finding no more keyholes, she closed the dollhouse and fastened the clasps.**

**Scanning the room, Kendra tried to decide where to look next. One key left, maybe two if the golden key also opened something. She had been through most of the items in the toy chests, but she could always double-check. She had searched through the drawers in the nightstands, dressers, and wardrobes thoroughly, as well as the knickknacks on the bookshelves. There could be keyholes in unlikely places, like under the clothes of a doll or behind a bedpost.**

**Kendra ended up beside the telescope. Improbable as it seemed, she checked it for keyholes. Nothing.**

"I know where the last keyhole is!" Seth cried out.

"Shush. Just let people figure it out from the book." Kendra berated him.

**Maybe she could use the telescope to locate Seth. Opening the window, she noticed Dale walking along the lawn at the outskirts of the woods. He was carrying something in both hands, but his back was to her, impeding a view of what he held. He stooped and set it down behind a low hedge, which continued to prevent her from seeing the object. Dale walked off at a brisk pace, glancing around as if to ensure nobody was spying, and soon passed out of view.**

"That's not suspicious at _all..._" said Newel sarcastically.

**Curious, Kendra rushed downstairs and out the back door. Dale was nowhere in sight. She trotted across the lawn to the low hedge beneath the attic window. Grass continued for about six feet beyond the hedge before stopping abruptly at the perimeter of the forest. On the grass behind the hedge rested a large pie tin full of milk.**

**An iridescent hummingbird hung suspended over the pie tin, wings a faint blur. Several butterflies flitted around the hummingbird. Occasionally one would descend and splash in the milk. The hummingbird flew away, and a dragonfly approached. It was a smaller crowd than the mirror had attracted, but there was much more activity than Kendra would have expected around a small pool of milk.**

**She watched as a variety of tiny winged animals came and went, feeding from the pie tin. Did butterflies drink milk? Did dragonflies?**

"Apparently." said Scott.

**Apparently so. It was not long before the level of milk in the pie tin had markedly fallen.**

**Kendra looked up at the attic. It had only two windows, both facing the same side of the house. She visualized the room behind those gabled windows, and suddenly realized that the playroom consumed only half the space the attic should fill.**

"The other half is used for 'storage'" said Stan knowingly.

**Abandoning the tin of milk, she walked around to the opposite side of the house. On the far side was a second pair of attic windows. She was right. There was another half to the attic. But she knew of no other stairway granting access to the uppermost story. Which meant that there might be some sort of secret passage in the playroom! Maybe the final key unlocked it!**

**Just as she decided to return to the attic and search for a hidden door, Kendra noticed Dale coming from the direction of the barn with another pie tin. She hurried toward him. When he saw her coming, he looked temporarily uncomfortable, then put on a big smile.**

"**What are you doing?" Kendra asked.**

"**Just taking some milk to the house," he replied, changing direction a bit. He had been heading toward the woods.**

"**Really? Why'd you leave that other milk behind the hedge?"**

"**Other milk?" He could not have looked more guilty.**

Everybody laughed.

"**Yeah. The butterflies were drinking it."**

**Dale was no longer walking. He regarded Kendra shrewdly. "Can you keep a secret?"**

"**Sure."**

"Oh, so you'll keep Dale's secret, but not mine?" asked Seth. "That's mean."

"You're my brother. I'm meant to get you in trouble."

**Dale looked around as if someone might be watching. "We have a few milking cows. They make plenty of milk, so I put out some of the excess for the insects. Keeps the garden lively."**

"**Why's that a secret?"**

"**I'm not sure your grandfather would approve. Never asked permission. He might consider it wasteful."**

"Actually, I came up with the idea." said Stan.

"No, _I_ came up with the idea. You just asked Dale to do it." said Ruth.

"Same thing."

"**Seems like a good idea to me. I noticed all the different kinds of butterflies in your garden. More than I've ever seen. Plus all the hummingbirds."**

**He nodded. "I like it. Adds to the atmosphere."**

"**So you weren't taking that milk to the house."**

"**No, no. This milk hasn't been pasteurized. Full of bacteria You could catch all sorts of diseases. Not fit for people. Insects, on the other hand, they seem to like it best this way. You won't spoil my secret?"**

"**I'll keep quiet."**

"**Good girl," he said with a conspiratorial wink.**

"**Where are you putting that one?"**

"**Over there." He jerked his head toward the woods. "I set a few on the border of the yard every day."**

"I'm glad I didn't step in it on my way out of the forest." said Seth.

"You would have deserved it," said Kendra. "For breaking the rules on Day 1."

"You know what _you _deserve?" said Seth, standing up.

"SETH MICHAEL SORENSON, SIT DOWN!" yelled Marla. "Kendra, that was also uncalled for."

"Sorry," said both of the kids simultaneously, Seth a little more regretfully than Kendra.

"**Does it spoil?"**

"**I don't leave it out long enough. Some days the insects consume all the milk before I collect the pans. Thirsty critters."**

"**See you later, Dale."**

"**You seen your brother hereabout?"**

"**I think he's in the house."**

"See? I _did _keep your secret, Seth."

"Hmph."

"**That so?"**

**She shrugged. "Maybe."**

**Kendra turned and started toward the house. She glanced back as she mounted the stairs to the rear porch. Dale was placing the milk behind a small, round bush.**

"Well, that's that," said Tanu. "Who's reading Chapter 3?"

"I will."

Who offered to read? You'll have to find out in the next chapter.

A/N I got a lot of reviews about this fanfiction, and I am going to address them, FAQ style.

**Tell me you are going to continue this!**

Well, what's the purpose of writing this if I am not going to continue it? But, if it will make you happy, yes, I am going to continue this.

**How often will you update?**

This really depends on what is happening in life. In an empty week I may get it up after a couple days. If I have stuff going on, I will work on this when I can, but it may be longer before the next update.

**Can you update sooner/type faster?**

I type as fast as I can with this, but it takes time to type the words from a book word for word perfectly. Again, I will update as quick as I can.

**Are you going to have a pattern for when you post? (Like on certain days?)**

No, I am simply going to post when I have finished the chapter.

**Thanks so much for making this!/This is amazing!/This is the only "Fablehaven reads Fablehaven" anywhere! Thanks for making this!**

I know these aren't really questions, but thank you for your support, and I actually never realized that this was the first of its kind. Interesting.

**Where did "shup" come from?**

My friend's family says "shup" instead of "shut up," as it is quicker and easier to say.

Please Fave, Subscribe, and Review!


	4. Chapter 3

Good news! I finally found my copy of Fablehaven 2 days ago! Thanks so much for being patient. Please enjoy Chapter 3 of FrF.

Vanessa walked up to Tanu with the Sphinx. "I had a turn of watching this guy while you read, now it's my turn.

So they made the switch. Tanu handed Vanessa the book, and walked with the Sphinx back to where he had been standing with Vanessa. Vanessa looked down at the chapter title, looked up, and smiled her narcoblix smile, which for some soon-to-be-known reason gave Seth the chills.

"**Chapter Three: The Ivy Shack.**"

Seth groaned. This was going to be a little embarassing.

**Seth pressed through dense undergrowth until he reached a faint, crooked path, the kind made by animals. Nearby stood a squat, gnarled tree with thorny leaves and black bark. Seth examined his sleeves for ticks, scrutinizing the camouflage pattern. So far he had not seen a single tick. Of course, it would probably be the ticks he failed to see that would get him. He hoped the insect repellent he had sprayed on was helping.**

"Resourceful boy," said the Fairy Queen, to no one in particular.

**Stooping, he collected rocks and built a small pyramid to mark the point where he had intersected the path. Finding his way back would probably be no problem, but better safe than sorry. If he took too long, Grandpa might figure out he had disobeyed orders.**

"He figured it out anyways," said Kendra.

"Because you snitched on me!" Seth retorted.

"Shhhhhh!" shushed their mother.

**Rummaging in his cereal box, Seth withdrew a compass. The animal track ran northeast. He had set off on an easterly course, but the undergrowth had grown denser as he progressed. A faint trail was a good excuse to veer slightly off course. It would be much easier going than trying to hack his way through shrubbery with a pocketknife. He wished he owned a machete.**

"Maybe when you're older, honey," said Marla.

"Mom, I've used a legendary sword, and you won't let me have a _machete_?" Seth asked. Marla just chuckled and shook her head, turning back to Vanessa.

**Seth followed the trail. The tall trees stood fairly close together, diffusing the sunlight into a greenish glow laced with shadows. Seth imagined that the forest would be black as a cave after nightfall.**

**Something rustled in the bushes. He paused, removing a small pair of plastic binoculars from his cereal box. Scanning the area, he spotted nothing of interest.**

Embarrassed of what was to come, Seth hung his head into his hands.

**He proceeded along the trail until an animal emerged from the undergrowth onto the path not twenty feet ahead. It was a round, bristly creature no taller than his knees. A porcupine. The animal started down the path in his direction with complete confidence. Seth froze. The porcupine was close enough that he could discern the individual quills, slender and sharp.**

**As the animal trundled toward him, Seth backed away. Weren't animals supposed to flee from humans? Maybe it had rabies. Or maybe it just hadn't seen him. After all, he was wearing a camouflage shirt.**

**Seth spread his arms wide, stomped a foot, and growled. The porcupine looked up, twitched its nose, and then turned from the path. **

"Seth! You scared that poor porcupine!" scolded Doren.

"Shame on you," said Newel. The two satyrs looked at each other for a moment, then busted out laughing.

"When you are done laughing at me, can we just continue?" asked Seth.

Newel wiped a tear from his eye. "Go on."

Vanessa glanced at them sceptically before continuing.

**Seth listened as it pushed its way through foliage away from the trail.**

**He took a deep breath. He had been really scared for a minute there. He could almost feel the quills pricking through his jeans into his leg. It would be pretty hard to conceal his excursion into the woods if he came home looking like a pincushion.**

There were scattered chuckles as everybody chuckled at the mental image of Seth covered with porcupine needles.

**Though he dreaded admitting it, he wished Kendra had come. The porcupine probably would have made her scream, and her fear would have increased his bravery. He could have made fun of her instead of feeling frightened himself. **

Seth turned a very, very, _very_ bright pink.

**He had never seen a porcupine in the wild before. He was surprised how exposed he felt staring at all those pointy quills. What if he stepped on one in the undergrowth?**

**He looked around. He had come a long way. Of course, finding his way back would be no trick. He just needed to backtrack along the trail and then head west. But if he turned for home now, he might never make it back this way again. Seth continued along the trail. Some of the trees had moss and lichen growing on them. A few had ivy twisting around their bases. The path forked. Checking his compass, Seth saw that one went northwest, the other due east, staying with his theme, Seth turned east.**

"If you had turned the other way, you probably would have ended up at our tennis court," said Newel.

"You guys have a tennis court?" asked Bracken.

"We sure do," replied Newel "We've got all the equipment, too. Rackets, balls, you name it." Impressed, Bracken turned back to Vanessa, who was still reading.

**There began to be more space between the trees, and the shrubs grew closer to the ground. Soon he could see much farther in all directions, and the forest became a little brighter. To one side of the path, at the limit of his sight, he noticed something abnormal. It looked like a long square of ivy hidden among the trees.**

"Muriel," Stan muttered, angry at the memory of being turned into a chimp.

**The whole point of exploring the woods was to find strange things, so he left the path and walked toward the ivy square.**

**The dense undergrowth came up to his shins, grasping at his ankles with every step. As he tromped toward the square, he realized it was a structure completely overgrown with ivy. It appeared to be a big shed.**

**He stopped and looked more closely. The ivy was thick enough that he could not tell what the shed was made of – he could see only leafy vines. He walked around the structure. On the far side a door stood open. Seth almost cried out when he peered inside.**

**The shed was actually a shack constructed around a large tree stump. Beside the stump, dressed in crude rags, sat a wiry old woman gnawing at a knot in a bristly rope. Shriveled with age, she clutched the rope in bony hands with knobby knuckles. Her long, white hair was matted and had a sickly yellowish tint. One of her filmy eyes was terribly bloodshot. She was missing teeth, and there was blood on the knot she was chewing, apparently from her gums. Her pale arms, bare almost to the shoulder, were thin and wrinkled, with faint blue veins and a few purple scabs.**

**When the woman saw Seth, she dropped the rope immediately wiping pink saliva from the corners of her meager lips. **

"That is disgusting," said Kendra.

**Supporting herself against the stump, she stood up. He noticed her long feet, the color of ivory, peppered with insect bites. Her gray toenails looked thick with fungus.**

Kendra looked like she was about to puke.

"**Hail, young master, what brings you to my home?" Her voice was incongruently melodious and smooth.**

**For a moment, Seth could only stare. Even as bent and crooked as she was, the woman was tall. She smelled . "You live out here?" he finally said.**

"**I do. Care to come inside?"**

"**Probably not. I'm just out for a walk."**

**The woman narrowed her eyes. "Strange place for a boy to walk alone."**

"**I like exploring. My grandpa owns this land."**

"**Owns it, you say?"**

"**Does he know you're here?" asked Seth.**

"Oh yes, I definitely knew she was there." said Stan. Kendra noted a hint of hate in that statement.

"**Depends who he is."**

"**Stan Sorenson."**

**She grinned. "He knows."**

**The rope she had chewed lay on the dirt floor. It had one other knot besides the one that she had been gnawing.**

"**Why were you biting the rope?" Seth asked.**

**She eyed him suspiciously. "I don't care for knots."**

"**Are you a hermit?"**

"**You could say that. Come inside and I will brew some tea."**

"How would she brew tea in a shack in the middle of the woods?" asked Marla. Nobody answered.

"**I better not."**

**She looked down at her hands. "I must look frightful. Let me show you something." She turned and crouched behind the stump. A rat ventured a few steps out of a hole in a corner of the shack. When she came back from behind the stump, the rat hid.**

**The old woman sat with her back to the stump. She held a little wooden puppet about nine inches high. It looked primitive, made entirely of dark wood, with no clothes or painted features. Just a basic human figure with tiny gold hooks serving as joints. The puppet had a stick in its back. The woman set a paddle on her lap.**

"That sounds like a smaller version of Mendigo," noted Scott, looking in the fields, where the human-sized servant was working

"It _is _Mendigo, dad" said Kendra.

**She began making the puppet dance by bobbing the stick and and tapping the paddle. There was a musical regularity to the rhythm**

"**What is that thing?" Seth asked.**

"**A limberjack," she replied.**

"**Where's his ax?"**

"**Not a _lumberjack, _ a _limberjack_. A clog doll. A jigger. Dancing Dan. Shuffling Sam. I call him Mendigo. He keeps me company. Come inside and I'll let you give it a try."**

"**I better not," he said again. "I don't see how you could live out here and not be crazy."**

"**Sometimes good people grow weary of society." She sounded a little annoyed. "You happened upon me by accident? Out exploring?"**

"**Actually, I'm selling candy bars for my soccer team. It's a good cause."**

Kendra could _not _believe her brother.

**She stared at him.**

"**I have my best luck in the rich neighborhoods."**

**She kept staring.**

"**That was a joke. I'm kidding."**

**Her voice became stern. "You are an impudent young man."**

"**And you live with a tree stump."**

Marla sighed. One day, that boy's sharp tongue will get him killed.

**She gave him a measuring glare. "Very well, my arrogant young adventurer. Why not test your courage? Every explorer deserves a chance to prove his mettle." The old woman withdrew into the shack and crouched behind the stump again. She returned to the doorway holding a crude, narrow box made of splintered wood, wire, and long, jutting nails.**

"**What's that?"**

"**Place your hand inside the box to prove your valor and win a reward."**

"**I'd rather play with the creepy puppet."**

"**Just reach inside and touch the back of the box." She shook it, and it rattled a bit. The box was long enough that he would have to reach in to his elbow in order to touch the back.**

"**Are you a witch?"**

"**A man with a brave tongue should support his words with courageous actions."**

"In other words, yes," said Seth.

**This seems like something a witch would do."**

"**Stand by your loose words, young man, or you may not have a pleasant journey home."**

**Seth backed away, watching her closely. "I better get going. Have fun eating your rope."**

**She clucked her tongue. "Such insolence." Her voice remained soothing and calm, but now held a menacing undertone. "Why not step inside and have some tea?"**

"**Next time." Seth moved around the shack, not taking his eyes from the ragged woman in the doorway. She made no move to pursue him. Before he moved out of her sight, the woman raised an arthritic hand with the middle fingers crossed and the others bent awkwardly. Eyes half-shut, she appeared to be murmuring something. Then she was out of view.**

"I thought the rope was supposed to prevent her from using magic," said Kendra.

"It prevents her from using all but the weakest of spells," Stan explained.

**On the far side of the shack, Seth plunged through the tangled undergrowth back to the path, glancing over his should all the way. The woman was not chasing him. Just looking back at the ivy-covered shack made him shiver. The old hag looked so wretched and smelled so foul. There was no way he was sticking his hand in her weird box. After she had offered the challenge, all he could think about was learning in school how shark teeth angled inward so fish could swim in but not out. He imagined the homemade box was probably full of nails or broken glass set at cruel angles for a similar purpose.  
**Raxtus winced. Well, as much as a dragon can wince, anyways. "Ouch," he said.

**Even though the woman was not following him, Seth felt unsafe. Compass in hand, he hurried along the path toward home. Without warning, something struck him on the ear, barely hard enough to sting. A pebble the size of a thimble dropped to the path at his feet.**

**Seth whirled. Somebody had thrown the little stone at him, but he saw nobody. Could the old woman be stealthily following him? She probably knew the woods really well.**

"Dude, she's an old lady. If you were running away from her, there should be no way she would be able to chase you," said Newel.

"I know," replied Seth. "But I was panicking. I don't think straight when I panic."

**Another small object bounced off the back of his neck. It was not as hard or heavy as a stone. Turning, he saw another acorn whistling toward him, and he ducked. The acorns and the pebble had come at him from opposite sides of the path. What was going on?**

"The squirrels are taking over," Doren said, matter-of-factly.

**From above came the sound of wood splitting, and a huge limb fell across across the path behind him, a few leaves and twigs swishing against him as it passed. If Seth had been standing two or three yards back along the path, a branch thicker than his leg would have clubbed him on the head.**

**One look at the heavy limb, and Seth took off down the path at a full sprint. He seemed to hear rustling sounds coming from the shrubbery on either side of the scant trail, but did not slow down to investigate.**

**Something caught a firm hold on his ankle, sending him tumbling to the ground. Sprawled on his belly, a cut on one hand, dirt in his mouth, he heard something rustling through the foliage behind him, and a strange sound that was either laughter or running water. A dry branch snapped like a gunshot. Not looking back for fear of what he might see, Seth scramble to his feet and dashed along the path.**

Everybody sat still, enraptured by the scene unfolding in their mind's eyes

**Whatever had tripped him had not been a root or a stone. It had felt like a strong cord stretched across the trail. A tripwire. He had noticed no such trap previously on the path. But there was no way the old woman could have done it, even if she had started running the moment he passed out of her view.**

"Again, _she is an old lady. She cannot run very well. _Got that?" asked Doren.

"I don't need to explain myself again, do I?" replied Seth.

**Seth raced past the place where the trail forked and sprinted back the way he had come. He scanned the trail ahead for wires or other traps. His breathing became labored, but he did not slow down. The air felt hotter and more humid than it had all day. Sweat began to dampen his forehead and drip down the sides of his face.**

**Seth remained alert for the little pyramid of rocks that would mark where he should leave the path. When he reached a gnarled little tree with black bark and thorny leaves, he halted. He remembered the tree. **

"Sounds a lot like the tree that was by Kurisock's tar pit," Newel noted.

After hearing what happened again, plus Newel's comment, Seth realized how lucky he was to have survived that afternoon.

**He had noticed it when he had intersected the path. Using the tree as a reference, he found the spot where he had built the pyramid of rocks, but the rocks were gone.**

**Leaves crunched behind him off to one side of the trail. Seth glanced at his compass to confirm that he was heading west and ran into the woods. He had walked this way at a leisurely pace, examining toadstools and unusual rocks as he went. Now he tore through the forest at full speed, undergrowth clawing at his legs, branches whipping against his face and chest.**

**Finally, panting, the energy of his panic wearing thin, he glimpsed the house up ahead through the trees. The sounds of pursuit had dwindled to nothing. As he stepped out into the yard under the sun, Seth wondered hoe much of what he had heard had actually been something chasing him, and how much had been invented by his flustered imagination.**

Vanessa paused. "Can someone get me some water, please?"

"I'll get it." Marla ran inside, filled a glass with water from the tap, came back out, and handed the glass to Vanessa. Vanessa took a large sip of the water before setting down next to her.

**The wall opposite the windows in the playroom held several rows of bookshelves. The door to the stairs was built into that wall. And one of the bulky, freestanding wardrobes was backed up against it.**

**Kendra held a blue book with golden letters. The title was _Journal of Secrets._ The book was held shut by three sturdy clasps, each with a keyhole. The remaining key Grandpa Sorenson had given her fit none of the keyholes, but the gold key she had found in the dollhouse armoire fit the bottom one. So one of the clasps was unlocked.**

**She had found the book while searching the bookshelves for a trigger to a secret passage. Using a stool, Kendra had reached even the higher shelves, but so far the search had been in vain. There was no sign of a secret door. When she noticed a locked book with an intriguing title, she had quit the search in order to test her keys.**

**With the bottom clasp unlocked, Kendra tried to pry up the corner of the book and get a peek. But the cover was solid and the binding firm. She needed to find the other keys.**

"Or just cut one of the covers off," said Doren. Everybody turned to look at him.

"What?"

**She heard someone stampeding up the stairs and knew it could be only one person. Hurriedly she shelved the book and pocketed the keys. She did not want her nosy brother interfering with her puzzle.**

**Seth charged through the door and slammed it behind him. He was flushed and breathing hard. Dirt smeared the knees of his jeans. His face was smudged with sweat and grime. "You should have come," he sighed, flopping onto his bed.**

"**You're getting the bedspread dirty."**

"**It was freaky," he said. "It was so cool."**

"**What happened?"**

"**I found this path in the woods and met this weird old lady who lived in a shack. I think she's a witch. A real one."**

"**Whatever."**

**He rolled over and looked at her. "I'm serious. You should have seen her. She was a mess."**

"**So are you."**

"**No, like all scabby and gross. She was biting an old rope. She tried to make me stick my hand in some box."**

"**Did you?"**

"**No way. I took off. But she chased me or something. She threw rocks at me and knocked down this big branch. It could have killed me!"**

"**You must be pretty bored."**

"**I'm not lying!"**

"**I'll ask Grandpa Sorenson if he has homeless people living in his woods," Kendra said.**

"**No! He'll know I broke the rules."**

"**Don't you think he would want to know a witch built a shack on his property?"**

"**She acted like she knew him. I went pretty far. Maybe I was off his property."**

"**I doubt it. I think he owns everything for a long ways."**

**Seth leaned back, lacing his fingers behind his head. "You should come visit her with me. I could find my way back."**

"Sometimes Seth, you make no sense at all," said Kendra.

"**Are you nuts? You said she tried to kill you."**

"**We should spy on her. Find out what she's up to."**

"**If there really is a weird old lady living in the woods, you should tell Grandpa so he can call the police."**

**Seth sat up. "Okay. Never mind. I made it up. Feel better?"**

**Kendra narrowed her eyes.**

"**I found something else cool," Seth said. "Have you seen the tree house?"**

"**No."**

"**Want me to show you?"**

"**Is it in the yard?"**

"That's Kendra," said Marla. "Always making sure to follow the rules."

"Mom!" scolded Kendra, blushing.

"**Yes, on the edge."**

"**Okay."**

**Kendra followed Seth outside and across the lawn. Sure enough, in the corner of the yard opposite the barn, there was a light blue playhouse up in a thick tree. It was situated on the back side of the tree, making it hard to see from most of the yard. The paint was peeling a little, but the little house had shingles on the roof and curtains in the window. Boards had been nailed into the tree to form a ladder.**

**Seth went up first. The rungs led up to a trapdoor, which he pushed open. Kendra climbed up after him.**

**Inside, the tree house felt bigger than it looked from the ground. There was a little table with four chairs. The pieces to a jigsaw puzzle were spread out on the table. Only a couple had been fit together.**

"**See, not bad," Seth said. "I started that puzzle."**

"**It's beautiful. You must be gifted."**

"Thanks, Ms. Sarcasm."

"No problem."

"**I didn't work on it long."**

"**Did you even find the corners?"**

"**No."**

"**That's the first thing you do." She sat down and started looking for corner pieces. Seth took a seat and helped. "You never like puzzles," Kendra said.**

"**It's more fun doing them in a tree house."**

"**If you say so."**

**Seth found a corner piece and set it aside. "Think Grandpa would let me move in here?"**

"**You're a weirdo."**

"**I'd only need a sleeping bag," he said.**

"**You'd get freaked out once it was late."**

"**No way."**

"**The witch might come get you."**

"That was rather underhanded," said Tanu.

"I thought he was making it up!" said Kendra.

**Instead of responding, he started looking more intently for the other corner pieces. Kendra could tell the comment had gotten to him. She decided not to tease him any further. The fact that he seemed scared of the lady he had met in the woods legitimized his story a lot. Seth had never scared easily. This was the kid who had jumped off the roof under the misguided assumption that a garbage bag would work like a parachute. The kid who put the head of a live snake in his mouth on a dare.**

"How come I never knew about this?" asked Marla, incredulously.

"Because I knew you would react like that," Seth replied.

**They found the corners and finished most of the perimeter of the puzzle by the time they heard Lena calling them for dinner.**

Looking towards the pond, Kendra noticed that the naiads had once again submerged under the surface. Kendra guessed they had done that at the first mention of Lena.

Vaness closed the book, and asked who would like to read next.

Bracken stood up. "I'll read," he said. The two switched places. "All right," he said. "Chapter Four..."

Please review, and if you like, favorite my story. If you have any questions for me or for the characters, go ahead and ask in a review.

Until next time!


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's note: **Life's becoming really crazy as of yet. I will try to work on this more often, but I said that before. Anyways, here's chapter four for you guys. Thanks for all the positive reviews! I would have given up on this already if it weren't for you guys.

Let the story begin!

_Vanessa closed the book, and asked who would like to read next._  
_Bracken stood up. "I'll read," he said. The two switched places. "All right," he said. "Chapter Four..."_

"The Hidden Pond."  
**Rain pattered endlessly against the roof. Kendra had never heard such a noisy downpour. Then again, she had never been in an attic during a rainstorm. There was something relaxing about the steady drumming, so constant that it almost became inaudible without ever decreasing in volume.**  
"Sort of like the train in the night," Marla clarified.  
"What?" asked a confused Seth.  
"You know how when you live near train tracks, during the first few nights the passing trains wake you up, then after that you don't really notice them?"  
"Nope."  
Marla thought for a second. "It's like getting used to your dad's snoring at night."  
"Marla!" cried Scott.  
"You know I love you honey," Marla reassured him before giving him a quick peck on the lips.  
"Gross! Don't do that in public!"  
"What? Afraid we'll embarrass you?" Marla teased, winking at Kendra.  
Seth just humphed, but said nothing.  
Once he was finished laughing, Bracken continued reading.  
**Standing at the window beside the telescope, she watched the deluge. The rain fell straight and hard. There was no wind, just layer upon layer of streaking droplets, blurring into a gray haze in the distance. The gutter below her was about to overflow.**  
**Seth sat on a stool in the corner, painting. Lena had been creating paint-by-numbers canvases for him, sketching them with expert speed, customizing each image to his specifications. The current project was a dragon battling a knight on horseback amid a fuming wasteland. **  
"Isn't that the one that you gave to that cute girl from school? What's her name, Ashley?"  
"MOM!"  
Everyone other than Seth were trying to hold in their laughter, but they couldn't. Bracken chuckled and waited for everyone to calm down before continuing again.  
**Lena had outlined the image in considerable detail, including subtleties of light and shade, so that the finished products looked quite accomplished. She had taught Seth how to mix paint and given him samples of which hue corresponded to which number. For the current painting, she had incorporated more than ninety different shades.**  
"I had to mix all of those shades, too."  
"I'm sure it was a lot of work," Kendra commented sarcastically.  
"It was!"  
**Kendra had rarely seen Seth demonstrate as much diligence as he did on the paintings. After a few brief lessons on how to apply the paint, including the purposes of different brushes and tools, he had already finished a large canvas of pirates sacking a town and a smaller one of a snake charmer diving away from a striking cobra. Two impressive paintings in three days. He was an addict! And he was almost done with his latest project.**  
**Crossing to the bookshelf, Kendra ran a hand along the spines of the volumes. She had searched the room thoroughly and had yet to find the last keyhole, let alone a secret passage to the other side of the attic. Seth could be a pest, but now that he had become immersed in his painting, she was starting to miss him.**  
"Aw, how sweet of you, Kendra!" said Marla.  
"Mom..." said Kendra.  
"Yes, honey?"  
"You're starting to embarass _me_ now."  
**Maybe Lena would outline a painting for her. Kendra had turned down her initial offer, since it sounded childish, like coloring. But the finished products looked much less juvenile than Kendra had anticipated.**  
**Kendra opened the door and descended the stairs. The house was dim and quiet, the rainfall more distant as she left the attic behind. She walked along the hall and down the stairs to the main floor.**  
**The house seemed too quiet. All the lights were out despite the gloom. **  
"**Lena?"**  
**There was no answer.**  
"Bum bum bum..." This was Newel.  
"Really, Newel?" That was just about everyone else.  
**Kendra went through the living room, the dining room, and into the kitchen. No sign of the housekeeper. Had she left?**  
**Opening the door to the basement, Kendra peered down the steps into the darkness. The stairs were made of stone, as if leading to a dungeon.**  
"Ironically, that _is _the dungeon," said Stan.  
"**Lena?" she called uncertainly. Surely the woman wasn't down there without any light.**  
**Kendra went back down the hall and slid open the door to the study. Having not yet entered this particular room, she first noticed the huge desk cluttered with books and papers. The massive head of a hairy boar with jutting tusks hung mounted on the wall. A collection of grotesque wooden masks rested on a shelf. Golfing trophies lined another.**  
"I didn't know you were into golf," said Dale.  
"Really?" Stan asked. "You never noticed my golfing trophies over all these years?"  
"I guess not."  
"Hm..." Stan crossed his arms  
**Plaques decorated the wood-paneled walls, along with a framed display of military medals and ribbons. There was a black-and-white picture of a much younger Grandpa Sorenson showing off an enormous marlin. On the desk, inside a crystal sphere with a flat bottom, was an eerie replica of a human skull no bigger than her thumb. **  
"Creepy."  
"Yes, Seth, that _is_ the meaning of eerie," Kendra teased.  
**Kendra slid the study door closed.**  
**She tried the garage, the parlor, and the family room. Maybe Lena had run to the store.**  
**Kendra walked out to the back porch, shielded from the rain by the overhang. She loved the fresh, damp scent of rainfall. It continued to come down hard, puddling around the garden. Where did the butterflies hide from such a downpour?**  
**Then she saw Lena. The housekeeper knelt in the mud beside a bush blossoming with large blue and white roses, absolutely soaked, apparently weeding. Her white hair was plastered to her head, and her housecoat was drenched.**  
"**Lena?"**  
**The housekeeper looked up, smiled, and waved.**  
"You'd think she'd be cold," Marla muttered.  
**Kendra retrieved an umbrella from the hall closet and joined Lena in the garden. "You're sopping," Kendra said.**  
**Lena rooted out a weed. "It's a warm rain. I like being out in the weather." She stuffed the weed into a bulging garbage bag.**  
"**You're going to catch a cold."**  
"**I don't often take ill." She paused to stare up at the clouds. "It won't last much longer."**  
**Kendra tilted her umbrella back and gazed heavenward. Leaden skies in all directions. "You think?"**  
"**Wait and see. The rain will pass within the hour."**  
"You could always trust Lena's weather predictions," Grandma said. "Probably something to do with being a naiad." Kendra watched with blurry eyes as Grandma started to think about it, before shaking her head. Kendra guessed she wasn't the only one missing Lena.  
"**Your knees are all muddy."**  
"**You think I've lost my marbles." The diminutive woman stood up and spread her arms wide, tilting her head back. "Do you ever look up at the rain, Kendra? It feels like the sky is falling."**  
**Kendra tilted the umbrella back again. Millions of raindrops rushed toward her, some pelting her face and making her blink. "Or like you're soaring up into the clouds," she said.**  
Kendra smiled, remembering the feeling.  
"**I suppose I should get you inside before my unusual habits rub off."**  
"**No, I didn't mean to disturb you." Back under the protection of the umbrella, Kendra wiped droplets from her forehead. "I guess you don't want the umbrella."**  
"**That would defeat the purpose. I'll be in shortly."**  
"The purpose of what?" Seth asked.  
"The purpose of weeding in the rain, duh!" Kendra answered sarcastically.  
Seth just hung his head in his hands while Kendra (and everyone else) laughed.  
**Kendra returned to the house. She stole glances at Lena through a window. it was just so peculiar, she couldn't resist spying. Sometimes Lena was working. Sometimes she was smelling a blossom or stroking its petals. And the rain kept falling.**

**Kendra was sitting on her bed, reading poems by Shel Silverstein, when the room suddenly brightened. The sun was out.**  
**Lena had been right about the rain. It had relented about forty minutes after her prediction. **  
"She's good," commented Newel.  
**The housekeeper had come inside, changed out of her wet clothes, and made sandwiches.**  
**Across the room, the painting of the knight charging the dragon was complete. Seth had gone outside an hour ago.**  
"And who knew what he was doing?" Kendra looked around but didn't see the source of the comment. She thought it was Grandma Sorenson.  
**Kendra was in a lazy mood.**  
**Just as Kendra returned her attention to the latest poem, Seth burst into the room, breathing hard. He wore only socks on his feet. His clothes were streaked with mud. **  
"At least he took his boots off," Marla noticed. "He never does that at our house."  
"**You **_**have**_ **to come see what I found in the woods."**  
"**Another witch?"**  
"**No. Way cooler."**  
"**A hobo camp?"**  
"**I'm not going to say; you have to come see."**  
"Don't tell this becomes 20 Questions," Doren groaned.  
"**Does it involve hermits or lunatics?"**  
"**No people," he said.**  
"**How far from the yard?"**  
"**Not far."**  
"**We could get in trouble. Besides, it's muddy out."**  
"**Grandpa is hiding a beautiful park in the woods," Seth blurted.**  
"**What?" asked Kendra.**  
"**You have to come see it. Put on galoshes or something."**  
**Kendra closed the book.**

**The sunlight came and went, depending on the shifting clouds. A soft breeze ruffled the ****foliage. The woods smelled mulchy. Scrambling over a damp, rotting log, Kendra shrieked when she saw a glistening white frog.**  
**Seth turned around. "Awesome."**  
"**Try **_**disgusting.**_"  
The satyrs laughed. At least, until Kendra glared at them. Then it became rather subdued chuckling.  
"**I've never seen a white frog," said Seth. He tried to grab it, but the frog took an enormous leap as he approached it. "Whoa! That thing flew!"**  
**He checked the underbrush where the frog had landed, but found nothing.**  
"**Hurry up," Kendra said, glancing back the way they had come. The house was no longer in sight. She could not shake the sick, nervous feeling in her stomach.**  
**Unlike her little brother, Kendra was not a natural rule breaker. She was in all the accelerated classes at school, got almost perfect grades, kept her room tidy, and always practiced for her piano lessons. Seth, on the other hand, settled for lousy grades, routinely skipped his homework, and earned frequent detentions.**  
"Gee, thanks whoever wrote this," Seth said.  
**Of course, he was also the one with all the friends, so maybe there was a method to his madness.**  
"Now seriously, thanks!" Everyone laughed.  
"**What's the rush?" He took the lead again, blazing a trail through the undergrowth.**  
"_**The longer we're gone, the more likely someone will notice we're missing." **_Kendra said in sync with Bracken reading the book.  
"Looks like somebody hasn't changed," Scott laughed.  
"**It isn't much farther. See that hedge?"**  
**It was not exactly a hedge. More like a tall barrier of unkempt bushes. "You call that a hedge?"**  
"**The park is on the far side."**  
**The wall of bushes extended as far as Kendra could see in either direction. "How do we get around it?"**  
"_**Through**_ **it. You'll see."**  
"Didn't he realize there was an entrance?" asked Raxtus.  
"Yep, he just didn't feel like going around," Kendra said.  
**They reached the bushes and Seth turned left, studying the leafy barricade as he went, occasionally squatting and checking closer. The interlocked bushes ranged from ten to twelve feet tall, and they looked very thick.**  
"**Okay, I think this is where I squirmed through." There was a deep indentation at the base where two bushes overlapped. Seth dropped to all fours and forced his way in.**  
"**You're going to have a billion ticks," Kendra predicted.**  
"**They're all hiding from the rain," he replied with perfect confidence.**  
**Kendra got down and followed him.**  
"**I don't think this is the same way I got through **  
**last time," Seth admitted. "It's a little more cramped. But it should work." He was now slithering on his belly.**  
"**This better be good." Kendra squirmed on her elbows, eyes squinted.**  
"She didn't like crawling very much," Seth said. "She took a thirty-minute shower when we got back."  
"That's not true!" Kendra exclaimed with a red face. "It was only twenty!"  
There were scattered snickers from different people. The only ones Kendra caught doing it though were the satyrs, who weren't trying to hide it at all.  
**The damp ground felt cold, and droplets fell from the bush as she jostled it. Seth reached the far side and stood up. She crawled through as well, her eyes widening as she got to her feet.**  
**Before her lay a pristine pond, a couple hundred yards across, with a small, verdant island at the center. A series of elaborate gazebos surrounded the pond, interconnected by a whitewashed boardwalk. Flowering vines wound along the latticework of the ****impressive promenade. Elegant swans glided on the water. Butterflies and hummingbirds wove and darted among the blossoms. On the far side of the pond, peacocks strutted and preened.**  
"**What in the world?" Kendra gasped.**  
"Of course, most of those creatures are really magical ones," Grandpa Sorenson said.  
"**Come on." Seth started across the lush, neatly mown lawn toward the nearest gazebo. Kendra looked back, understanding why Seth called the disheveled barrier a hedge. On this side, the bushes were neatly trimmed. The hedgerow encompassed the entire area, with a single arched entryway off to one side.**  
"**Why didn't we come through the entryway?" Kendra asked, trotting after her brother.**  
"**Shortcut." Seth paused at the white steps leading up to the gazebo to pluck a piece of fruit from an espalier. "Try one."**  
"**You should wash it," Kendra said.**  
"**It just rained." He took a bite. "It's so good."**  
**Kendra tried one. It was the sweetest nectarine she had ever tasted. "Delicious."**  
**Together they mounted the steps of the extravagant pavilion. The wood railing was perfectly smooth. Although unshield from the elements, all the woodwork appear**  
**The gazebo was furnished with white wicker loveseats and chairs. In some places the ubiquitous vines had been woven into living wreaths and other fanciful patterns **("Courtesy of the fairies," Grandma Sorenson added)**.** **A bright parrot sat on a high perch staring down at them.**  
"**Look at the parrot!" Kendra exclaimed.**  
"**Last time I saw some monkeys," Seth said. "Little guys with long arms. They were swinging all over the place. And there was a goat. It ran away as soon as it saw me."**  
"That was me!" exclaimed Newel.  
**Seth took off, clomping down one of the boardwalks. Kendra followed more slowly, absorbing the scene. It looked like the setting of a fairy-tale wedding. She counted twelve pavilions, each unique. One had a small quay projecting into the pond. The little pier was connected to a floating shed that had to be a boathouse.**  
**Kendra strolled after Seth, whose ruckus was sending the swans drifting toward the far side of the lake, leaving V-shaped ripples in their wake. The sun broke through the clouds and gleamed upon the water.**  
**Why would Grandpa Sorenson keep a place like this secret? It was magnificent! Why go through all the trouble of maintaining it if not to enjoy it? Hundreds of people could gather here with room to spare.**  
"Like they are now," someone said. Kendra looked back and saw a Knight of the Dawn that she didn't know. He looked to be a little older than her dad, although the scars from being a Knight made him look much older.  
**Kendra went to the gazebo with the pier and found that the boathouse was locked. It was not large; she guessed it held a few canoes or rowboats. Maybe Grandpa Sorenson would give them permission to paddle around the pond. No, she could not even tell him she knew about this place! Was that why he he told them about the ticks and made rules against venturing into the woods? To keep his little Eden hidden? Could he be so selfish and secretive?**  
At seeing the hurt look on her husband's face, Grandma Sorenson gently reminded him in a hushed voice "Remember they barely knew you at this point."  
"I know, I know," he said in an equally hushed voice. "It still hurts to know that they thought that about me."  
**Kendra finished a complete lap around the pond, walking on clean wooden planks the entire way. Across the pond Seth yelled, and a small flock of cockatoos took flight. The sun retreated behind clouds. They needed to get back. Kendra told herself she could return later.**

**Kendra was concerned when she cut into her steak. The middle was pink, almost red at the center. Grandpa Sorenson and Dale were already taking bites.**  
"**Is my steak cooked?" Kendra ventured.**  
"'**Course it's cooked," Dale said around a mouthful.**  
"**It's pretty red in the middle."**  
"**Only way to eat a steak," Grandpa said, dabbing his mouth with a linen napkin. "Medium rare. Keeps it juicy and tender. If you cook it all the way through, you might as well eat shoe leather."**  
**Kendra glanced at Lena.**  
"**Go ahead, dear," the woman urged. "You won't get sick; I cooked it plenty."**  
"**I like it," Seth said, chewing on a bite. "We have any ketchup?"**  
Scott looked at his son. "Why would you put ketchup on a perfectly good steak?"  
"**Why would you go and ruin a perfectly good steak with ketchup?" Dale moaned.**  
"Exactly!" Scott said.  
"It tastes good," Seth said with a shrug.  
"**You put it on your eggs," Lena reminded him, placing a bottle in front of Seth.**  
"**That's different. Ketchup and onions on eggs is a necessity."**  
"**That's sickening," Seth said, upending the bottle over his steak.**  
**Kendra took a bite of the garlic potatoes. They were tasty. Mustering her courage, she sampled the steak. Bursting with flavorful seasoning, it was much easier to chew than other steak she had eaten. "The steak is wonderful," she said.**  
"**Thank you, dear," said Lena.**  
**They ate in silence for a few moments. Grandpa dabbed his mouth with his napkin again and cleared his throat.**  
"**What do you suppose makes people so eager to break rules?"**  
"Busted!" Chorused Newel and Doren.  
**Kendra felt a jolt of guilt. The question was addressed generally and hung there awaiting a response. When nobody answered, Grandpa continued.**  
"**Is it simply the pleasure of disobedience? The thrill of rebellion?"**  
**Kendra glanced at Seth. He stared at his plate, picking at his potatoes.**  
"**Were the rules unfair, Kendra? Was I being unreasonable?"**  
"**No."**  
"**Did I leave you with nothing to do, Seth? No pool? No tree house? No toys or hobbies?"**  
"**We had things to do."**  
"**Then why did you two go into the woods? I warned you there would be consequences."**  
"**Why are you hiding weird old ladies out in the forest?" Seth blurted.**  
Bracken paused as the sound of multiple people face-palming filled the air.  
"Smooth move, Seth. Just go and tell him you broke the rules. That is the worst way to avoid getting in trouble," said Newel, shaking his head.  
"**Weird old ladies?" Grandpa asked.**  
"**Yeah, what about that?"**  
**Grandpa nodded thoughtfully. "She has a rotten old rope. You didn't blow on it?"**  
"**I didn't go near her. She was freaky."**  
"**She came to me and asked if she could build a shack on my property. She promised to keep to herself. I saw no harm in it. You shouldn't go bothering her."**  
"**Seth found your private retreat," Kendra said. "He wanted me to see it. My curiosity got the better of me."**  
"**Private retreat?"**  
"**Big pond? Fancy boardwalk? Parrots and swans and peacocks?"**  
**Grandpa looked at Dale, speechless. Dale shrugged.**  
"I didn't think you would discover this, what with the hedge and all," Grandpa said.  
"**I was hoping you would take us out on a boat," Kendra said.**  
"**Who said anything about a boat?"**  
**Kendra rolled her eyes. "I saw the boathouse, Grandpa."**  
**He tossed his hands up and shook his head.**  
**Kendra set her fork down. "Why would you let such a nice place go to waste?"**  
"**That is my business," Grandpa said. "Yours was to obey my rules, for your own protection."**  
"**We're not afraid of ticks," Seth said.**  
**Grandpa folded his hands and lowered his eyes. "I was not entirely honest about why you needed to stay out of the woods." He lifted his gaze. "On my land, I provide refuge for some dangerous animals, many of them endangered. **  
"That's one way of putting it," commented Vanessa wryly.  
"**This includes poisonous snakes, toads, spiders, and scorpions, along with bigger game. Wolves, apes, panthers. I use chemicals and other controls to keep them away from the yard, but the woods are extremely hazardous. Particularly the island in the center of the lake. It is deliberately infested with inland taipans, also called 'fierce snakes,' the deadliest serpent known to man."**  
"**Why didn't you warn us?" Kendra asked.**  
"**My preserve is a secret. I have all the licenses, but if my neighbors complained, those could be revoked. You must not tell a soul, not even your parents."**  
"**We saw a white frog," Seth said breathlessly. "Was that poisonous?"**  
**Grandpa nodded. "Quite lethal. In Central America the indigenous people use them to fashion poisoned darts."**  
"**Seth tried to catch it."**  
"**Had he succeeded,"Grandpa said gravely, "he would be dead."**  
**Seth swallowed. "I'll never go into the woods again."**  
"**I trust you won't," Grandpa said. "All the same, a rule is of no value unless the punishment in enforced. You will have to stay in your room for the rest of your stay."**  
"**What?" Seth said. "But you lied to us! Being afraid of ticks is a lame reason to stay out of the woods! I just thought you were treating us like babies."**  
"**You should have brought those concerns to me," Grandpa said. "Was I unclear about the rules or the consequences?"**  
"**You were unclear about the reasons," Seth said.**  
"**That is my right. I am your grandfather. And this is my property."**  
"**I am your grandson. You should tell me the truth. You're not setting a very good example."**  
**Kendra tried not to laugh. Seth was in lawyer mode. He always tried to maneuver out of trouble with their parents. **  
"Ain't that the truth," Marla commented with a hint of humor in her voice.  
"Remember that time when he had drawn with Sharpie on Kendra's face?" asked Scott.  
Marla laughed. "I almost let him go free just because of how much effort he put into defending himself."  
**Sometimes he made some pretty good points.**  
"And that's why," Marla said.  
"**What do you think, Kendra?" Grandpa asked.**  
**She had not expected him to solicit her opinion. She tried to collect her thoughts. "Well, I agree that you didn't tell us the whole truth. No way would I have gone into the woods if I had known there would be dangerous animals."**  
"**Me neither," Seth said.**  
"**I made two simple rules, you understood them, and you broke them. Just because I chose not to share all my reasons for making the rules, you think you should escape punishment."**  
"**Yes," Seth said. "Just this once."**  
"**That doesn't sound fair to me," Grandpa said. "Unless the punishments are enforced, rules lose all their power."**  
"**But we won't do it again," Seth said. "We promise. Don't lock us up in the house for two weeks!"**  
"**Don't blame me," Grandpa said. "You locked yourself up by disregarding the rules. Kendra, what do you think would be fair?"**  
"**Maybe you could give us a reduced version of the punishment as a warning. Then the full punishment if we mess up again."**  
"**Reduced punishment," Grandpa mused. "So you will pay a price for your disobedience, but you get one more chance. I might be able to live with that. Seth?"**  
"**Better than the whole punishment."**  
"Well, duh. It _is _reduced punishment..."  
"Shut up Kendra."  
"SETH!"  
"Sorry mom. Please be quiet Kendra."  
"Better."  
"**That settles it. I will reduce your sentence to a single day. You will spend tomorrow confined to the attic. You can come down for meals, and you can use the bathroom, but that is all. Break any of my rules again, and you will not leave the attic until your parents come for you. For your own safety. Understood?"**  
"**Yes, sir," Kendra said.**  
**Seth nodded his agreement.**

Bracken marked the page and sat down. "Man, I need a glass of water."  
Grandpa stood up. "Well, I hate to stop here, but it's getting late and we should all be getting to our respective sleeping areas and rest up for tomorrow."  
Kendra looked up. Sure enough, the sky getting dark, with a hint of pink left in the sky.  
Bracken stood up and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Well, see you tomorrow."  
"Yeah, I guess." They both just stood there for what seemed like forever. _Why does this have to be so damn awkward? _Kendra wondered. Bracken was looking just as awkward as she was.  
"Well, see ya..." Bracken said, before walking away to join his mother.  
Kendra let her feet guide her back to the house. When she walked in the door, Seth asked the question:  
"So, did Bracken kiss you goodnight?"  
"SETH!" She stormed up to the attic room.  
"I guess not," Seth said to the empty room.

Kendra laid in her bed as Seth came in a few minutes later. _Why does Seth have to be so insensitive? _she asked herself. Thinking back on it, she realized that she had wanted Bracken to at least give her a hug, but she saw why he didn't. It was the same reason that she didn't - they were both waiting on the other to make a move.

Kendra fell into a restless sleep.

So we've got a mysterious crush whose name might be Ashley, an interesting story of a Sharpie and Kendra's face, and Kendra and Bracken's relationship is more awkward that the books reveal

Ah, teen crushes! ;)

Please R&R, and stay in touch for the next chapter.


	6. Chapter 5

**Hey all, thanks for hanging in there. I don't even know how long it's been since my last upload, but I finally finished this one after chipping away at it for a while. In case you haven't noticed, kitty210 has made her own FF called _Fablehaven reads Fablehaven. _Be sure to check it out. As of now, there's nothing more than the prologue, but it looks like it'll be a good story in itself.**

**This will be continuing off from last time, when Bracken and Kendra had their awkward moment, and Seth later teasing her.**

**Disclaimer: I am a guy and have little idea of what goes through a girl's mind. For those of you that are of the fairer sex, forgive me if I'm completely wrong. Also, I don't own Fablehaven or the characters, it belongs to Brandon Mull, yada yada. Let's begin!**

The next morning, Kendra woke up after a restless night of sleep. For some reason, Seth's question really bothered her. It wasn't like she had wanted him to kiss her goodnight or anything, right? So why was she feeling like this about it? Kendra shook her head to try to clear her mind, but it only half-worked – if that.

Kendra got out of the attic bed and glanced at the bed next to her. Seth was still sleeping, laying sideways on his bed, with his feet dangling off one side and his head on the other. His blankets were wrapped around him as though they were trying to squeeze him to death. Kendra snorted and walked down the stairs.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she was assaulted with the most amazing smell ever. Her anxiety temporarily forgotten, Kendra ran into the kitchen where her Mom was making pancakes. Not just any pancakes, mind you, but the most amazing, I-could-eat-these-for-the-rest-of-my-life, taste of heaven pancakes. These things are _good. _Marla laughed at the sight of Kendra rushing in with her sweats, T-shirt, and extremely messy hair.

Kendra sat down with her small stack of pancakes and dug in without noticing anyone else at the table. At least, not until Grandma Sorenson said "She's never that excited when _I _make pancakes..." Then Kendra looked up and saw Grandpa and Grandma Sorenson looking at her, along with Dale and her dad Scott. All had amused expressions, as Kendra froze, looking at them. She was in the middle of nearly stuffing her face with pancake. Nothing moved but the syrup dripping off of her chin. Then everyone started laughing, including Marla from the kitchen. A little embarrassed, Kendra did her best to wipe the syrup from her face with her napkin.

"Wh-wh-what's so funny?" Seth yawned as he walked in.

"Nothing!" Kendra squeaked. She coughed and said in a more normal voice "Nothing."

The sight of Seth seemed to quickly sober her up, but nobody seemed to really notice.

"Right... Oh! Is Mom making pancakes! Count me in!" Soon Seth grabbed his own plate of pancakes and digging in with gusto.

Dale leaned over to Kendra. "He could almost give you a run for your money at eating pancakes," he said softly. She glared at him. Dale sat back up, laughing.

- FRF -

Back at the lake, everyone was in the same places as they were before. Stan walked up to the front holding the little book from yesterday. As he turned to face the small crowd, he saw Kendra and Bracken sitting together, just like yesterday, but Kendra was hugging her knees and looked to be completely ignoring Bracken. Bracken seemed to be unsure of what to do, so he was staring off into space. _I wonder what happened between those two_, Stan thought to himself. He cleared his throat. "Ok, everybody. We're back for day two of our reading. Just a little update before we begin: I have sent a few Knights out to try to find where these books came from. So far there's no word as to where they came from, but we'll keep looking. Now let's begin. I believe we're on chapter five, titled 'The Journal of Secrets.'" He flipped to the beginning of the chapter and started reading.

"**Did you ever notice the keyhole on the belly of the unicorn?" Seth asked. He was lying on the floor beside the fanciful rocking horse, hands laced behind his head.**

**Kendra looked up from her painting. She has asked Lena to create a paint-by-numbers to help her endure her incarceration. **

"That makes it sound like you were put in prison," Scott joked.

Kendra stared at the ground in front of her. "With Seth there, it pretty much is." She tried to make it sound like she was joking, but with what had happened the night before, she just couldn't. An Awkward Silence (capital A, capital S) followed. Realizing what she had said, Kendra quickly apologized. "I'm sorry..." and hung her head. Stan quickly continued in an attempt to draw attention away from Kendra.

**Kendra had wanted to paint the pavilions around the pond, and Lena had quickly sketched a scene with startling accuracy, as if the housekeeper had the place memorized.**

"Hey, cheer up," Bracken softly murmured to Kendra. "What's going on?"

**Seth declined to have another canvas prepped. Stuck in the attic or not, he was sick of painting.**

"**Keyhole?"**

"**Weren't you looking for keyholes?"**

"It's my idiot brother."

**Kendra got off her stool and crouched beside her brother.**

"He- I don't want to talk about it."

**Sure enough, the was a tiny keyhole on the underside of the unicorn.**

Bracken could feel his heart start to ache at the sight of that tear rolling down her cheek.

**She retrieved her keys from the nightstand drawer.**

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it. Just know I'll be here for you, ok?" Kendra looked at Bracken and gave him a teary smile before hugging him.

**The third key Grandpa Sorenson had given her did the trick.**

Kendra released Bracken. "Thank you," she whispered to him before sitting in a normal position. Bracken smiled before indicating that they should listen to Grandpa Sorenson.

**A small hatch swung open. Out fell several rose-shaped chocolates wrapped in gold foil, identical to the one she had found in the miniature armoire.**

"**What are those?" Seth asked.**

"**Soap," Kendra said.**

"Don't tell me you're going to fall for that, Seth," Newel warned.

"What do you take me for?" Seth asked. "Actually, don't answer that."

**Kendra reached up into the hatch and felt around inside the hollow rocking horse. She found a few more rosebud chocolates and a tiny golden key like the one from the armoire. The second key to the locked journal!**

"**They look like candy," Seth said, snatching one of the ten chocolates.**

"What an astute observation by young Mr Sorenson," said Newel sarcastically.

"**Have one. They're perfumed. You'll smell pretty."**

The satyrs snickered as Seth facepalmed.

**He unwrapped it. "Funny color for soap. Smells a lot like chocolate." He popped the whole thing in his mouth. His eyebrows shot up. "Holy cow, this is good!"**

"**Since you found the keyhole, how about we split them fifty-fifty." She was a little worried he would eat all of them otherwise.**

Everyone there who knew Seth well laughed at Kendra's very understandable worry.

"**Sounds fair," he said, grabbing four more.**

**Kendra placed her five chocolates in the nightstand drawer and retrieved the locked book. As she expected, the second gold key unlocked another clasp. Where could the third one be?**

**She slapped her forehead. The first two had been hidden inside things the other keys had opened. The other one must be in the jewelry box!**

"Well, _duh!_" Seth joked. "Of _course_ it was there!"

**Opening the jewelry box, she rummaged through the compartments of glittering pendants, brooches, and rings. Sure enough, disguised on a charm bracelet, she found a tiny golden key matching the other two.**

**Kendra eagerly crossed the room and inserted the key into the final lock on the _Journal of Secrets_. The final clasp unlatched and she opened the book.**

The satyrs started cheering loudly and applauding before breaking into hysterical laughter. Ruth rolled her eyes. _Those two are a handful._

**The first page was blank. So was the second. She thumbed quickly through the pages. The whole book was blank. Just an empty journal. Was Grandpa Sorenson trying to encourage her to keep a diary?**

**But the whole game with the keys had been so sneaky. Maybe there was a trick to this as well. A hidden message.**

Stan started to nod until he saw the next sentence.

**Disappearing ink or something.**

"Try Umite wax," Vanessa said.

**What was the trick with disappearing ink? Spray it with lemon juice and hold it up to a light? Something like that.**

"'Something' being an enchanted Umite candle..."

**And there was another trick where you rubbed gently with a pencil and a message appeared. Or maybe something even more devious.**

**Kendra surveyed the journal more carefully, hunting for clues. She held a few pages up against the window to see if the light would betray hidden watermarks or other mysterious evidence.**

**"What are you doing?" Seth asked. He had only one chocolate rosebud left. She would need to hide her chocolates someplace more secure than the nightstand drawer.**

"I never did find those chocolates," Seth said. "Where's you put them?"

"I'm not telling you!" Kendra said. "What if I need to hide something else?"

**She held up a final page. The light revealed nothing. "Practicing for my audition at the insane asylum."**

**"I bet you'll win first prize," he teased.**

**"Unless they see your face," she retorted.**

"Ouch," Doren winced.

**Seth went over and scooped some kernels for Goldilocks. "She laid another egg.**

Stan glanced up to see Ruth glaring at him. He quickly started reading again.

**He opened the cage to retrieve it and stroked her soft feathers.**

**Kendra plopped down on the bed, leafing through the last pages. Suddenly she stopped. There was writing on one of the final pages. Not really hidden, just tucked away in an unlikely spot. Three words written near the binding, toward the bottom of an otherwise empty page.**

_**Drink the milk.**_

**Folding the corner, she flipped through the remaining pages. Then she skimmed the rest of the pages from the start to make sure she had missed no similar messages. There were no other cryptic clues.**

_**Drink the milk.**_

**Maybe soaking a page in milk would make words appear.**

"Close, but no cigar," Bracken teased. Kendra playfully slapped his arm.

**She could soak one in the tins of milk Dale left out.**

**Or that could be the milk the message was talking about! A challenge to drink unprocessed cow's milk - what purpose could that serve? To give her diarrhea? Dale had made a special point of warning her _not _to drink the milk. Of course, he had acted sort of peculiar about it. He could be hiding something.**

"Nah, he wasn't hiding anything at all..." said Seth sarcastically.

_**Drink the milk.**_

**All the hassle of finding holes for the keys Grandpa Sorenson gave her, in order to uncover extra keys that fit a locked journal, for that odd message? Was she missing something, or overanalyzing? The hunt might have simply been meant to occupy her time.**

**"Do you think Mom and Dad would let us get a pet chicken?" Seth asked, holding the hen.**

Seth looked up at his parents. Marla shook her head at him.

**"Probably right after they get us a pet buffalo."**

**"Why don't you ever hold Goldilocks? She's really good."**

**"Holding a live chicken sounds disgusting."**

**"Better than holding a dead one."**

**"I'm fine just petting her."**

**"You're missing out." Seth held the hen up to his face. "You're a good chicken, aren't you Goldilocks?" The hen clucked softly.**

**"She's going to peck your eyes out," Kendra warned.**

**"No way, she's tame."**

Ruth started to breathe deeply - just like Lena had told her to when she had instructed Ruth in yoga – in an attempt to calm herself. She hated remembering her experience as a chicken. It was embarrassing!

**Popping one of the rosebud chocolates in her mouth, Kendra replaced the _Journal of Secrets_ in the nightstand drawer and returned to her painting. She scowled. Between the gazebos, pond, and swans, the picture required more than thirty shades of white, gray, and silver.**

"That was freaking _hard!_" Kendra said.

"Even so, it turned out beautifully!" Marla responded.

**Using the sample hues Lena had given her, she prepared her next color.**

Stan paused to get a drink of water.

**The sun was bright the next day. There was no evidence that it had ever rained or that it would ever rain again. Hummingbirds, butterflies, and bumblebees had returned to the yard. Lena gardened in the back beneath a large sun hat.**

**Kendra sat in the shade on the back porch. No longer a prisoner in the attic, she felt better able to enjoy the fine weather. She wondered if the diverse butterflies she saw in the yard were among the species Grandpa Sorenson had imported. How did you keep a butterfly from leaving your property? The milk, perhaps?**

**She passed the time with a game she had found on a shelf in the attic - a triangular board with fifteen holes and fourteen pegs. The object was to jump pegs like checkers until you had only one peg left, which sounded simple at first. The problem was that in the process of jumping, certain pegs ended up stranded, unable to jump or be jumped. The number of pegs you left stranded on the board determined your score.**

**Her best effort so far was three, which the directions labeled typical. Leaving two was good. One was genius. Five or more labeled you hopeless.**

"What's four then?" Seth asked.

"Well, it's between 'typical' and 'hopeless,'" Newel explained. "So I'm gonna guess... typically hopeless?"

Seth shook his head at his goatly friend's antics.

Grandpa Sorenson snorted a laugh before continuing.

**While resetting the pegs for a fresh attempt, Kendra saw what she had been waiting for. Dale was walking along the perimeter of the yard with a pie tin. Setting the peg game on a table, she hurried to intercept him.**

**Dale looked mildly surprised at her approach. "I can't let Lena see me talking to you like this," he murmured in low tones. "I'm supposed to put the milk out on the sly."**

**"I thought nobody knew you put the milk out."**

**"Right. See, your grandfather doesn't know, but Lena does. We try to keep it our secret."**

**"I was wondering what the milk tastes like."**

**He looked nervous. "Didn't you hear me last time? You could get... shingles. Scabies. Scurvy."**

**"Scurvy?"**

Tanu laughed. "Scurvy? Scurvy's from a vitamin C deficiency. You're not going to get it from drinking milk."

**"This milk is a bacterial stew. That's why the insects like it so well."**

**"I have friends who have tried milk fresh from the cow. They survived."**

**"I'm sure those were healthy cows," Dale said. These cows are... never you mind. Idea is, this ain't just any milk. It's highly contaminated. I wash my hands good after even handling the stuff."**

**"So you don't think I should taste it."**

**"Not unless you're aiming for a premature burial."**

**"Would you at least take me in the barn to see the cows?"**

**"See the cows? That would be breaking your grandfather's rules!"**

**"I thought the point was we might get hurt," Kendra said. "I'll be fine if you're with me."**

Doren wagged his finger at Kendra "Tricky tricky tricky!" Kendra just smirked.

**"Your grandfather's rules are your grandfather's rules. He has his reasons. I'm not about to go breaking them. Or bending them either."**

**"No? Maybe if you let me see the cows, I'll keep your secret about putting out the milk."**

"Wow," Newel said, looking at Kendra with newfound respect. "You're quite the devious little one, aren't you?"

**"Now see, that's blackmail. I'll not stand for blackmail."**

**"I wonder what Grandpa will say when I tell him at dinner tonight."**

**"He'll likely say you ought to mind your own affairs. Now, with your leave, I have chores to do."**

**She watched him walk away with the tin of milk. He surely had acted defensive and strange. There was definitely some mystery surrounding the milk. But all the talk about bacteria made her reluctant to try it. She needed a guinea pig.**

The satyrs looked at each other. "SETH!" They chorused, laughing.

**Seth tried a flip off the boulder into the pool, but landed on his back. He never could quite make it all the way around. He surfaced and stroked to the side to try again.**

"I think he tried to do that... 12 times?" Kendra looked at her brother.

"I don't remember!" Seth said. "That was what, 2 years ago?"

"Sounds about right. Your back was so red I would have mistaken you for a giant lobster or something." Seth's face started to turn flush. "Yeah, like that!" Kendra teased.

**"Nice back-flop," Kendra said, standing beside the pool. "That was one for the blooper reel."**

**Seth climbed out of the water. "I'd like to see you do a better one. Where have you been?"**

**"I found a secret."**

**"What?"**

**"I can't explain. But I can show you."**

**"Good as the lake?"**

**"Not quite. Hurry up."**

"Actually, I'd say it's much better than the lake," Kendra added.

**Putting a towel over his shoulders, Seth stepped into his sandals. Kendra led him away from the pool through the garden to some flowering shrubs on the outskirts of the yard. Behind the plants lay a large pie tin full of milk where a crowd of hummingbirds were feeding.**

**"They drink milk?" he asked.**

**"Yeah, but that's not the point. Taste it."**

**"Why?"**

**"You'll see."**

**"Have you tried it?"**

**"Yes."**

**"What's the big deal?"**

**"I told you, try it and you'll see."**

**Kendra watched curiously as he kneeled by the tin. The hummingbirds dispersed. Seth dipped a finger into the milk and put it on his tongue. "Pretty good. Sweet."**

**"Sweet?"**

**He lowered his head and puckered his lips against the surface of the milk. Pulling back, he wiped his mouth. "Yeah, sweet and creamy. A little warm, though." Looking beyond Kendra, his eyes bulged. Seth jumped to his feet, screaming and pointing. "What the heck are those?"**

**Kendra turned. All she saw was a butterfly and a couple of hummingbirds. She looked back at Seth.**

"I thought he was messing with me," she admitted.

**He was turning in circles, eyes darting around the garden, apparently perplexed and amazed.**

**"They're everywhere," he said in awe.**

**"What are?"**

**"Look around. The fairies."**

**Kendra stared at her brother.**

"Saying stuff like that, _he'd _be the one to win the audition for the insane asylum," Tanu joked. "Not Kendra."

People laughed as they caught the reference to earlier.

**Could the milk have totally fried his brain? Or was he messing around with her? He didn't appear to be faking. He was over by a rosebush gazing at a butterfly in wonder. Tentatively he reached a hand toward it, but it fluttered out of reach.**

**He turned back to Kendra. "Was it the milk? This is way cooler than the lake!" His excitement seemed genuine.**

**Kendra eyed the tin of milk. _Drink the milk._ If Seth was playing a prank, his acting skills had suddenly improved tenfold.**

"Gee, _thanks_," Seth said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You're welcome!" Kendra beamed at him.

**She dipped a finger and put it in her mouth. Seth was right. It was sweet and warm. For an instant the sun gleamed in her eyes, making her blink.**

**She glanced back at her brother, who was creeping up on a small group of hovering fairies. Three had wings like butterflies, one like a dragonfly. She could not suppress a shriek at the impossible sight.**

"Reminds me of the first time _my _eyes were opened to the realm of magical creatures," The Sphinx said. Multiple people jumped. Because he was so silent, they had forgotten he was there. "Minus the shriek of course." People smiled at the 'of course'. Then Seth started laughing.

"What? I was just imagining the Sphinx shrieking like a little girl." Everyone, even the Sphinx laughed at the mental image of him squealing like a little girl.

**Kendra looked back at the milk. A fairy with hummingbird wings was drinking from her cupped hand. Other than the wings, the fairy looked like a slende woman not quite two inches tall. She wore a glittering turquoise slip and had long, dark hair. When Kendra leaned closer, the fairy zipped away.**

**There was no way she was really seeing this, right? There had to be an explanation. But the fairies were everywhere, near and far, shimmering in vivid colors. How could she deny what was before her eyes?**

"The same way everyone else does?" Vanessa answered.

**As Kendra continued to survey the garden, startled disbelief melted into wonder. Fairies of all conceivable varieties flitted about, exploring blossoms, gliding on the breeze, and acrobatically avoiding her brother. Roaming the pathways of the garden in a daze, Kendra saw that the fairy women appeared to represent all nationalities. Some looked Asian, some Indian, some African, some European. Several were less comparable to mortal women, with blue skin or emerald green hair. A few had antennae. Their wings came in all varieties, mostly patterned after butterflies, but much more elegantly shaped and radiantly colored. All the fairies gleamed brilliantly, outshining the flowers of the garden like the sun outshines the moon.**

**Rounding a corner on a pathway, Kendra stopped short. There stood Grandpa Sorenson, wearing a flannel shirt and work boots, arms folded across his chest.**

**"We need to talk," he said.**

"Dun dun dun dunnnnnnnnn..." Everyone stared at Doren. "Sorry, couldn't help it," he said grinning.

**The grandfather clock tolled the hour, chiming three times after the introductory melody. Sitting in a high-backed leather armchair in Grandpa Sorenson's study, Kendra wondered if grandfather clocks got their name because only grandparents owned them. **Stanfrowned. "Um... No."

**She looked over at Seth, seated in an identical chair. It looked too big for him. These were chairs for adults.**

**Why had Grandpa Sorenson left the room? Were they in trouble? After all, he had given her the keys that ended up leading her and the guinea pig to sample the milk.**

"'The guinea pig'?" Seth asked incredulously.

"Hey, I didn't write it," Kendra said.

"Well yeah, but still..."

**Even so, she could not quit worrying that she had discovered something that was meant to stay hidden. Not only were fairies real, but Grandoa Sorenson had hundreds in his yard.**

"**Is that a fairy skull?" Seth asked, pointing to the flat-bottomed globe with the thumb-sized skull on Grandpa's desk.**

"**Probably," Kendra said.**

"**Are we busted?"**

"**We better not be. There were no rules against drinking milk."**

**The study door slid open. Grandpa entered along with Lena, who carried three mugs on a tray. Lena offered Kendra a mug, then Seth and Grandpa. The mug contained hot chocolate. Lena left the room as Grandpa took a seat behind his desk.**

"**I am impressed how quickly you solved my puzzle," he said, taking a sip from his mug.**

"**You _wanted_ us to drink the milk?" Kendra said.**

"No, he just gave you a locked journal with the words 'drink the milk' written in it just for the heck of it."

Kendra barely glanced at the speaker. "Shut up, Newel."

"**Assuming you were the right kind of people. Frankly, I don't know you all that well. I hoped that the kind of person who would take the trouble to solve my little puzzle would be the kind of person who could handle the notion of a preserve full of magical creatures. Fablehaven would be too much to swallow for most people."**

"**Fablehaven?" Seth repeated.**

"**The name the founders gave this preserve centuries ago. A refuge for mystical creatures, a stewardship passed down from caretaker to caretaker over the years."**

**Kendra tried the hot chocolate. It was superb! The flavor made her think of the rosebud chocolates.**

"**What do you have besides fairies?" Seth asked.**

"**Many beings, great and small. Which is the true reason the woods are off-limits. There are creatures out there much more perilous than venomous snakes or wild apes. Only certain orders of magical life forms are generally permitted in the yard. Fairies, pixies, and such."**

"How come we've never seen any pixies, only fairies in the yard?" Seth asked.

"Who knows. Maybe they don't like children," Grandpa Sorenson replied, winking at Kendra.

**Grandpa took another sip from his mug. "You like the hot chocolate?"**

"**It's wonderful," Kendra said.**

"**Made from the same milk you sampled in the garden today. Same milk the fairies drink. Just about the only food they'll eat. When mortals drink it, their eyes are opened to an unseen world. But the effects wear off after a day. Lena will prepare you a cup every morning so you can stop stealing from the fairies."  
"Where does it come from?" Kendra asked.**

"**We make it special in the barn. We have some dangerous creatures in there, too, so it's still off-limits."**

"**Why's everything off-limits?" Seth complained. "I've been a long way into those woods four times and I've always been fine."**

"**Four times?" Grandpa said.**

"**All before the warning," Seth amended hastily.**

"_Riiiiiiiight..._" said Newel. "And I'm a centaur."

Everyone was amused at this, as most of them agreed with Newel. Scott was almost crying, he was laughing so hard. Seth glared at Newel.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Hey, you know it's usually true!"

"Yeah, whatever."

"**Yes, well, your eyes were not yet opened to what truly surrounded you. And you were fortunate. Even when you were blind to the enchanted creatures populating the forest, there are many places where you could have ventured into from which you would not have returned. Of course, now that you can see them, the creatures here can interact with you much more readily, so the danger is much greater."**

"**No offense, Grandpa, but is this really the truth?" Kendra asked. "You've told us so many versions of why the woods are forbidden."**

"**You saw the fairies," he said.**

**Kendra leaned forward. "Maybe the milk made us hallucinate. Maybe they were holograms. Maybe you just keep telling us whatever you think we'll believe."**

"That's my daughter!" This was from Marla. "Always the careful one, questioning everything."

"Mom!" Kendra was blushing.

"**I understand your concern," Grandpa said. "I wanted to protect you from the truth about Fablehaven unless you sought it out for yourselves. It is not the kind of information I wanted to thrust upon you. That is the truth. What I am telling you now is the truth. You'll have ample opportunity to confirm my words."**

"**So the animals we saw at the pond were actually other creatures, like how the butterflies were fairies," Kendra clarified.**

"**Most assuredly. The pond can be a hazardous place. Return there now, and you would find friendly naiads beckoning you near the water in order to pull you under and drown you."**

"**That's so cruel!" Kendra said.**

Kendra could hear the naiads tittering after hearing this. She just shook her head.

"**Depends on your perspective," Grandpa said, spreading his hands. "To them, your life is so ridculously short that to kill you is seen as absurd and funny. No more tragic than squashing a moth. Besides, they have a right to punish trespassers. The island at the center of the pond is a shrine to the Fairy Queen. No mortal is permitted to tread there. I know of a groundskeeper who broke that rule. The moment he set foot on the sacred island, he transformed into a cloud of danelion fluff, clothes and all. He scattered on the breeze and was never seen again."**

"**Why would he go there?" Kendra asked.**

"**The Fairy Queen is widely considered the most powerful figure in all fairydom. The groundskeeper had a desperate need and went to plead for her assisstance. Apparently she was not impressed."**

"I remember that man," The Fairy Queen recalled. "I wouldn't call chasing a dryad and making her hate you a good 'desperate need.'"

"**In other words, he had no respect for what was off-limits," Kendra said, giving Seth a meaningful look.**

"**Precisely," Grandpa agreed.**

"**The queen of the fairies lives on that little island?" Seth asked.**

"**No. It is merely a shrine meant to honor her. Similar shrines abound on my property, and all can be dangerous."**

"**If the pond is dangerous, why does it have a boathouse?" Kendra asked.**

"**A previous caretaker of this preserve had a fascination with naiads."**

"**The dandelion guy?" Seth asked.**

"**A different guy," Grandpa said.**

"But close," interjected the Fairy Queen.

"**It's a long story. Ask Lena about it sometime; I believe she knows the tale."**

**Kendra shifted in the oversized chair. "Why do you live in such a scary place?"**

**Grandpa folded his arms on the desk. "It's only frightening if you go where you don't belong. This entire sanctuary is consecrated ground, governed by laws that cannot be broken by the creatures that dwell here. Only on this hallowed soil could mortals interact with these beings with any measure of safety. As long as mortals remain within their boundaries, they are protected by the founding covenants of this preserve."**

"**Covenants?" Seth asked.**

"**Agreements. Specifically, a treaty ratified by all the orders of whimsical life forms who dwell here that affords a measure of security for mortal caretakers. In a world where mortal man has become the dominant force, most creatures of enchantment have fled to refuges like this one."**

"**What are the covenants?" Kendra asked.**

"**The specific details are complex, with many limitations and exceptions. Speaking broadly, they are based on the law of the harvest, the law of retribution. If you do not bother the creatures, they will not bother you. That is what affords you so much protection when you are unable to see them. You can't interact with them, so they generally behave likewise."**

"**But now we can see them," Seth said.**

"**Which is why you must use caution. The fundamental premises of the law are mischief for mischief, magic for magic, violence for violence. They will not initiate trouble unless you break the rules. You have to open the door. If you harass them, you open the door for them to harass you. Hurt them, they can hurt you. Use magic on them, they will use magic on you."**

"**Use magic?" Seth said eagerly.**

"I swear he was imagining being the next David Copperfield or something," Kendra said to Bracken. "His mouth was practically drooling at the idea." Bracken laughed.

"**Mortals were never meant to use magic," Grandpa said. "We are nonmagical beings. But I have learned a few practical principles that help me manage things. Nothing you would find very remarkable."**

"**Can you turn Kendra into a toad?"**

"You wish," Kendra said to Seth, who stuck his tongue out at her.

"**No. But there are things out there who could. And I would not be able to change her back. Which is why I need to finish this thought: Breaking the rules can include trespassing where you are not allowed. There are geographic boundaries set where certain creatures, including mortals, are not permitted. The boundaries function as a way to contain the darker creatures without causing an uproar. If you go where you do not belong, you could open the door to vicious retribution from powerful enemies."**

"**So only good creatures can enter the yard," Kendra said.**

**Grandpa became very serious. "None of these creatures are good. Not the way we think of good. Nona are safe. Much of morality is peculiar to mortality. **

"Try saying _that_ ten times fast," said Tanu. (AN: Do it, I dare you!)

**The best creatures here are merely not evil."**

"**The fairies aren't safe?" Seth asked.**

"**They aren't out to harm anyone, or I wouldn't allow them in the yard. I suppose they are capable of good deeds, but they would not normally do them for what we would consider the right reasons. Take brownies, for instance. Brownies don't fix thing to help people. They fix things because they enjoy fixing things."**

"**Do the fairies talk?" Kendra asked.**

"**Not much to humans. They have a language all their own, although they rarely speak to each other, except to trade insults. Most never condescend to use human speech. They consider everything beneath them. Fairies are vain, selfish creatures."**

Kendra glanced at the Fairy Queen. Surprisingly, she was nodding, seemingly unconsciously, at what Grandpa Sorenson was saying.

"**You may have noticed I drained all the fountains and the bridbaths outside. When they are full, the fairies assemble to stare at their reflections all day."**

"**Is Kendra a fairy?" Seth asked.**

Stan paused his reading to allow people to recover from the humorousness of that comment.

**Grandpa **(and everyone listening except Kendra) **bit his**/their** lip and stared at the floor, obviously trying to choke back a laugh. "We had a mirror outside once and they flocked around it," Kendra said, studiously ignoring both the comment and the reaction. "I wondered what the heck was going on."**

**Grandpa regained his composure. "Exactly the sort of thing I was trying to avoid by draining the birdbaths. Fairies are remarkably conceited. Outside of a sanctuary like this one, they won't even let a mortal glimpse them. Since they consider looking at themselves the ultimate delight, they deny the pleasure to others. Most of the nymphs have the same mentality."**

"**Why don't they care here?" Kendra asked.**

"**They still care. But they can't hide when you drink their milk, so they have reluctantly grown accustomed to mortals seeing them. I have to laugh sometimes. The fairies pretend not to care what mortals think about them, but try giving one a compliment. She'll blush, and the others will crowd in for their turn. You would think they'd be embarrassed."**

"**I think they're pretty," Seth said.**

"**They're gorgeous!" Grandpa agreed.**

The fairies that had stopped to listen to the story started chittering. Those who could understand Silvian (aka Kendra, Bracken, and the Fairy Queen), grinned at the sound of the fairies talked amongst themselves. Most of the conversations went somewhat like this:

Fairy 1: "I was one of the first fairies that boy saw."

Fairy 2: "So what? He wasn't talking about you."

Fairy 1: "Of course he was."

Fairy 2: "No, he wasn't"

Fairy 1: "Oh, so I'm guessing he was talking about _you_ then."

Fairy 2: "Of course!"

Fairy 1: "Sigh..."

"**And they can be useful. They handle most of my gardening. But good? Safe? Not so much."**

**Kendra swallowed the last of her hot chocolate. "So if we don't go into the woods or the barn, and don't bother the fairies, we'll be fine?"**

"**Yes. This house and the yard around it is the most protected location in Fablehaven. Only the gentlest creatures are allowed here. Of course, there are a few nights a year when all the creatures run amuck, and one of those is coming up. But I'll tell you more about it when the time comes."**

**Seth scooted forward in his chair. "I want to hear about the evil creatures. What's out there?"**

"**For the sake of your ability to sleep at night, I'm going to keep that to myself."**

"**I met that weird old lady. Was she really something else?"**

**Grandpa gripped the edge of the desk. "That encounter is a frightening example of why the woods are forbidden. It could have been disastrous. You ventured toward a very hazardous area."**

"**Is she a witch?" Seth asked.**

"**She is. Her name is Muriel Taggert."**

"**How come I could see her?"**

"**Witches are mortal."**

"**Then why don't you gt rid of her?" Seth suggested.**

"**The shack is not her home. It is her prison. She personifies the reasons why exploring the woods is unwise. Her husband was a caretaker here more than a hundred and sixty years ago. She was an intelligent, lovely woman. But she became a frequent visitor to some of the darker portions of the forest, where she consorted with unsavory beings. They tutored her. Before long, she became enamored with the power of witchcraft, and they acquired considerable influence over her. She became unstable. Her husband tried to help her, but she was already too demented.**

"**When she tried to aid some of the foul denizens of the woods in a treacherous act of rebellion, her husband called in assisstance and had her imprisoned. She has benn trapped in that shack ever since, held captive by the knots in the rope you saw. Let her story serve as another warning – you have no business in those woods."**

"**I get it," Seth said. He looked solemn.**

"Yeah, for maybe a day..." Kendra said. Seth glared at the back of her head.

"**Enough jabbering about rules and monsters," Grandpa said, stading up. "I have chores. And you have a new world to explore. The day is fading, go make the most of it. But stay in the yard."**

"**What do you do all day?" Kendra inquired, walking out of the study beside Grandpa.**

"**Oh, I have many chores to keep this place in order. Fablehaven is home to many extraordinary wonders and delights, but it requires a great deal of maintenance. You might be able to accompany me some of the time, now that you know the true nature of the place. Mundane work, mostly. I expect you'd have more fun playing in the garden."**

"Compared to saving the preserve on multiple occasions _and _the world, I doubt it," said Seth.

**Kendra laid a hand on Grandpa's arm. "I want to see as much as I can."**

Stan closed the book and took a drink of water. "Phew, that took a while." He looked at the crowd of people. "You wouldn't _believe _how weird it is to read about yourself from someone else's perspective," he said. "So, who's reading next?"

**Please F&F, and I'll see you next time!**


End file.
